


Birth of Myss

by moosemum



Series: Myss Stories [1]
Category: Destiny (Video Games), Destiny - Fandom, Destiny 2 - Fandom
Genre: Character Death, Death, Death of Lover, F/F, F/M, Gen, Lover Death, Original Character Death(s), You get it someone dies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-14
Updated: 2018-02-18
Packaged: 2019-03-06 15:06:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 13
Words: 19,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13413831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moosemum/pseuds/moosemum
Summary: A story about Myss Thyss, my Guardian OC, beginning from a moment in the Savathun's Song strike, continuing into a 10-chapter flashback about her journey in becoming a Guardian.Basest of backstories.***Like 9 month later update***• Renaming this• Half of these are super cheesy (like gag cheesy) because I know nothing about romance but I don't have the energy to go in and fix it• Pretty much all her secrets are in this thing. Go check out my other stories for more development





	1. Seraph's Song

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Myss’ experience with the Hive’s Void Rituals.

  _« No, no! You already took my Ghost… Please! »_

The panicked Guardian’s voice dropped a weight in the stomachs of the fireteam making their way towards the source of the transmission, the two Hunters hopping along as if that would get them there faster.

“The Hive took his Ghost?” The taller Hunter asked the Warlock, the source of most of the fireteam’s knowledge.

“Perhaps. Or there’s another creature down here that would.” He paused, electrocuting an Acolyte that dared to charge him. “I’m sure the Hive are aware of the abilities our Ghosts have to revive us, and they probably want to prevent that if they are, in fact, performing death experiments.”

The taller Hunter swallowed thickly, dodging out of the way of another Acolyte’s swing. “I hate the Hive. I want to get out of here.” The next Thrall she knifed had extra vigor behind it. “I feel contaminated, and they smell.”

“You don’t get used to it.” Answered the smaller Hunter. “Unless you’re Eris Morn.”

That caused both the Warlock and the smaller Hunter to chuckle. The taller Hunter was relieved for the short moment of levity, but her discomfort got the better of her and she dashed off in the direction her Ghost told her to go. They had to find - no - they had to  _save_  these Guardians.

As the taller Hunter rounded the corner, a wave of Darkness fell heavy on her chest as she took potshots at two acolytes running off to the left. Something felt eerily familiar, and terribly foreboding. She managed to push past it and pop the head off of one of the Acolytes, and focused her scope in the direction they were running.

_[The broadcast came from this room. Where’s that Guardian?]_

She could almost feel the Light drain from her body.

> _“–ss! Get out of here! I’ll hold them off!”_

The Wizard’s sickly form is framed by a bright purple glow, arched over a crystal as big as she was.

> _“Get to the City! Live! I l-AAA AAA–”_

She could feel the energy - so much like her own Light - emanating from that crystal, and she’s back in that moment a year and a half ago.

> _“Seraph…? Seraph! Seraph, No… NO!”_

She doesn’t remember dashing behind the half-wall, but she’s there, curled up on herself, hands gripping her hood tightly enough to tear it. Her face is contorted, tears streaming from her eyes as she wails in horror.

“Not again!” She manages through choked sobs. “This isn’t happening again!”

Her Ghost materializes before her, attempting to soothe her through her convulsions.  _[Myss! Myss, deep breaths. Please.]_  He never wished for a body more than in this moment - if only he could cradle his Guardian and comfort her through this nightmare.  _[I know - I know this is terrifying. I was there too. But we’re stronger now! Please, Myss.]_

The Warlock and smaller Hunter have caught up now, both immediately firing on the Wizard at the top of the stairs. The Warlock notices that the taller Hunter is nowhere to be seen, and there is no Ghost nearby waiting to be assisted in her revival.

“Myss?! Where did you go?” He calls out over the comms as the smaller Hunter defeats the Wizard, subsequently popping the crystal. Its contents are revealed, and his Ghost comments on it.

_[That’s Void Light in there! How?]_

The Warlock’s stomach drops. 

Myss is a prodigious Nightstalker. That couldn’t be - 

That’s when he hears the wailing coming from the back of the room, and so does the smaller Hunter, and so do several Thralls that appear from beneath the stairs. The Warlock leaves the job of defense to the smaller Hunter, and he dashes to the source of the cries. 

The Warlock slides behind the half wall and releases a rift for safety, a small Arc Soul appearing on the shoulders of all three of them.

 _[–Inhale. Inhale, Myss. **Please**.]_  The Ghost encourages, only inches from his charge’s face. Then he notices the Arc Soul, and the Warlock’s presence.  _[Warcry. You need to snap her out of it.]_

“What’s wrong, Casper?” the Warlock asks, putting a hand on the Hunter’s shoulder. Her eyes were distant, and the tears free-flowing. The Warlock had never seen her like this. In fact, if it weren’t for this moment, he’d have almost laughed at the thought of his six-foot-plus fireteam member in such a distraught and vulnerable state.

 _[This mission is reminding her of Seraph.]_  That name rung a bell in the Warlock’s memory.  _[She was Myss’ first friend after I resurrected her. We lost her to a Hive Wizard before we made it to the City, identically to how we just lost that Guardian we were tracking.]_

It made sense to him now. The Warlock knew very well how much Myss disliked the Hive, as many Guardians did, but he never knew exactly why. Not until this moment.

 _[Her hood’s what’s left of Seraph’s cloak, Warcry.]_  The Ghost added, knowing how much weight that statement carried.

The Warlock turned back to the smaller Hunter, who’d been listening to the updates as she fired on the oncoming Thralls. The pair shared a sympathetic look with each other, and the smaller Hunter nodded gently towards her wailing fireteam member.

“Snap her out of it, bun.” The smaller Hunter orders. “She needs to know we’re not gonna lose her, and that she’s not gonna lose us.”

The Warlock nods, and turns back towards the other Hunter. He moves his arm from her shoulder to her back, and places his other arm on her knee. 

“Myss. Myss come back to us. We’re here.” The Warlock croons. He tightens his grip on her gently, and the Hunter consciously inhales for what seems like the first time. The wails don’t stop, but they seem to slow. “We’re gonna make these Hive pay, and make it back to the City.” The Warlock squeezes again. “I promise.”

The only foe left is the Shrieker at the other end of the room, so the smaller Hunter joins in on the comforting contact. “We’re not going anywhere, Myss.” She adds, rubbing the top of her head.

The wails quiet, and the taller Hunter’s eyes cram shut - though the tears don’t stop. She leans into the embrace of her fireteam members, and begins taking deep breaths.

 _They’re here. **I’m**  here. They’re strong.  **I’m**  strong. They’ll live.  **I’ll**  live._ 

She tells herself these statements constantly over the next several minutes, breathing in time, until she’s finally calm enough to lift her head. Her weepy, swollen, glowing eyes meet the - also glowing - eyes of her fireteam, and she smiles at them. 

Her Ghost seems to heave a sigh of relief in time with her fireteam, and he can’t help but nuzzle up against her damp cheek. She repays him in kind with a light kiss to his eye.

“Thanks, guys.” The taller Hunter croaks. “We’re gonna make it out of here.”

“That we are.” The Warlock confirms, standing tall.

The smaller Hunter also stands, pulling out her Wardcliff. “Let’s kick some stinky Hive ass.”

The taller Hunter can’t help her giggles as she makes her way to her feet, her Ghost dematerializing. She looks down at her fireteam, and pulls them both into a very large - and very tight - embrace. “Let’s go save those Guardians.”

With that, the fireteam continues on their mission, discovering some of the nuances of the Void Rituals. Destroying each crystal -  and seeing every Guardian’s dead Ghost sitting on the hive casing of their charge’s Light - feels like she’s destroying Seraph herself each time. Every detail they learn makes the taller Hunter ill, and she can feel the eyes of her fireteam on her every time Taeko-3 talks about her situation.

In turn, she talks to Taeko-3 constantly and comforts her by expressing her understanding of her current predicament. The taller Hunter assures Taeko-3 that they’re here, they’re strong, and that they’ll all live. She won’t run away this time. 

Unfortunately, the universe tips in favour of the Hive today. 

The taller Hunter knows what Taeko-3 is planning, and begs her to reconsider her suicidal plan. She tells her Seraph’s story, though it doesn’t change her mind. The team and their Ghosts plead with Taeko-3 to hold tight as they race towards her location, but they’re too late.

_[Taeko…]_

The taller Hunter sees the crystal sitting below the enormous sleeping Shrieker and wants so badly to run, but she promised Taeko-3 she wouldn’t.

“Myss.” the Warlock says, placing a hand on the taller Hunter’s shoulder. “This could be a good opportunity for some closure.”

The taller Hunter sighs heavily and hops towards the crystal in the centre of the room. The Warlock and the smaller Hunter hang back by the door, giving their partner some privacy.

She gently brushes the empty Ghost shell resting on the Hive casing, before placing a hand on the crest of the crystal. Closing her eyes, she reaches into her Light, into the Void, and also into the crystal. From it, she pulls her memories of Seraph - the good ones - and smiles. 

She remembers the nights they spent by the campfire on their journey to the City, and Seraph’s innate ability to weave song out of nothing. Myss often fell asleep to Seraph’s songs, and even to her soft humming as she also drifted off to sleep. Those were the nights she’d wished would last forever, if she could listen to Seraph sing until the sun rose.

Gripping her hood, a tear slips down her face, and she exhales. Quietly, she speaks.

“Goodbye, Seraph. I love you.”

The taller Hunter opens her eyes, inhales, and shatters the crystal with her knife. “Thank you, Taeko-3. We won’t forget your sacrifice.”

The Shrieker wakes, and the taller Hunter turns towards her fireteam - her family. 

“Let’s go!”


	2. (Re)Birth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Myss’ resurrection, first moments, and first death.

Burning. That’s the first thing she remembers. She remembers the fire in her lungs threatening to claw its way up her throat.

 _[….dian? Eyes up, Guardian.]_ A pause. She can hear whirring. _[I… I did it. I can’t believe I finally found you!]_

Her eyes open as she pushes herself on all fours, every joint in her body cracking one by one. She blinks to clear the fog from her eyes, and is met with a small but bright blue light staring up at her from below.

 _[You don’t know how long I’ve been looking for you.]_ The little light says to her. _[I’m your Ghost, and you… Well, I brought you back to life.]_

Suddenly she’s very, very cold, causing a violent shiver to rip through her. _[Oh dear. I forgot we were up here. Let me see if I can find something.]_ A few moments later, the blue light - the - her Ghost - returns with a large light grey piece of fabric with a faded yellow pattern on it. Using whatever strength she can muster, she quickly wraps it around herself and takes a good look at the Ghost.

It’s a small white diamond, made up of smaller white diamonds, floating in front of her face. Each of the smaller white diamonds twitches every now and then, the back half of the whole diamond spins, and the blue light blinks.

“G-Ghost?” She manages through chattering teeth. “My Ghost?”

 _[Yes. I’m your Ghost.]_ The wind whistles through the structure they’re in, and the Ghost turns to look out the way it entered. _[We should get going. I’ll explain everything on the way.]_

She takes a brief look around where she woke, and discovers that it’s entirely metal, with some shattered glass panes allowing snow to enter above her head. If she looks high enough, she can almost see a seat. When she shifts to get a better look, she feels something cold move against her chest.

She reaches in and fishes out a chain with a beautiful purple jewel on it. When she turns it over to further examine it, there’s some text that she can faintly make out.

Myss Thyss - Iris Commander

“Myss Thyss.” She repeats.

The Ghost spins and floats over to look at the jewel, all four of its diamonds spiking out briefly. It looks excited. _[That seems to be who you were.]_ It pauses, turning to look at her. _[Would you like that to be who you are?]_

She takes a moment, inhales a lungful of cold air, and smiles. “I’m Myss. Nice to meet you, Ghost.”

[ _It’s wonderful to meet you too, Myss.]_ A moment passes, and it seems like the wind has died down. _[Let’s get moving. We have a long way to go.]_

Myss begrudgingly gets to her feet, wrapping the fabric tightly around herself. She manages to avoid getting injured while exiting the structure which, upon closer inspection once she’s outside of it, appears to be a wrecked ship, with a few others nearby all bearing similar markings.

“W-what hap-pened?” She asks quietly. “Did… we all d-die?”

The Ghost sinks a little. _[It seems that way. There was a big fight near Saturn a year or so ago that those ships were a part of. Looks like you escaped but didn’t survive the impact.]_ It turns back to her. _[We won, though!]_

A light but shaky giggle is elicited out of Myss as she trudges along in the snow, following her Ghost’s lead. She’s not sure why, but she trusts this little diamond to get her to safety.

“S-so, where are we go–”

The snow breaks under her, and she begins tumbling, screaming as she falls.

There’s many stomach-turning drops and various body-breaking impacts that she suffers on her way down. “I can’t die! Not yet!” She thinks to herself while she’s still conscious. “I just got here! I just found out my na-”

Then the world went black.

…

And the burning is back.

Myss coughs violently as she inhales, making her way to all fours again. “I’m… alive… again?” She asks, and is welcomed by the Ghost below her face once more. She’s not sure how, but she can tell it’s not happy.

 _[You’re lucky I was able to follow you as you fell, Myss. I nearly lost you.]_ The top and bottom diamond are angled closer to its eye, mimicking eyebrows.

“You can… bring me back?”

_[I can. No matter how many times you die, as long as I can feel the Traveler’s Light, I can bring you back.]_

“Is it going… to burn… this much… every time?”

_[Probably. Sorry about that.]_

It’s at this point that Myss notices that she’s on warm earth rather than rock or snow or metal. “Did I–?”

_[That’s one way to get down a mountain, Myss. Though it’s not recommended.]_

“Why not?” She chuckles, pushing herself to stand. “If you can bring me back, then it’s worth the extra effort to save time.”

_[You have a point, I just don’t like seeing you get hurt.]_

Myss smiles at her Ghost, patting the top of its diamond gently.

It’s morning, and she’s surrounded by very large trees. Somehow, she still has the light grey fabric wrapped over her shoulders, and she pulls up the extra to make a hood.

“Well. We better get moving.”

Her Ghost looks ecstatic, spinning rapidly and floating up about a foot. _[Absolutely. Follow me.]_


	3. Drawn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Myss meets Seraph.
> 
> (Click the links to find out what the Captain's saying!)

The ground crunches gently beneath the tall Awoken’s feet, her newly found redwood walking staff adding a third thump to her gait. The trek to this “City” will be long and arduous, especially with limited aerospace centers in proximity to where her Ghost found her. Luckily, it seems she landed on the correct side of the mountain. 

As in, the side closer to a ship. 

Her Ghost had estimated a two to three week trek to the nearest Golden Age Aeroport and, hopefully, the Fallen hadn’t retreated there and picked it clean after the SIVA Crisis.

God, she was  _so clueless_  about all of this.

“So, what’s that ‘Traveler’ you mentioned earlier?” Myss asks her Ghost, who somehow dematerialized and is living inside her head now. 

He insists he lives in her backpack, but she’s not wearing a backpack, and she can hear him in her head. This is all so disorienting, and she’s stopped questioning her companion’s personal shenanigans to save her sanity somewhat.

 _[No one knows exactly what the Traveler is,]_  

Really helpful, Ghost. 

 _[...some would refer to it and its Light as a God and a Blessing respectively, and the Ghosts and their Guardians - as children of the Traveler and its Light - as demigods.]_  

Myss’ eyes widen slightly at that. Her, a demigod? No pressure, right?

_[However, it’s simplest to call it a terraformer, as that is primarily what it did while it was alive.]_

“It’s dead?”

_[Yes. That’s why I exist. I, as well as every other Ghost, was born the moment the Traveler died, with the express purpose of finding you - our Guardian.]_

“Aww, you’re gonna make me blush.”

 _[Let me try harder. I’d wandered the Sol System for hundreds of years, oversaw many battles - The Faction Wars, Six Fronts, _The Great Disaster,_ Twilight Gap, the SIVA Crisis - I’d been to Luna, Mars, Venus, and Mercury, and not one fallen individual had called to me.]_ Her Ghost materializes in front of her.  _[Until yesterday.]_

She feels the water-like light ripples on her face congregate on her cheeks. “--You got me. I’m blushing.”

Her Ghost laughs, and disappears again.

Over the next few days of travel, her questions are gradually answered. 

After the Traveler had blessed many a race with its Light, and subsequently abandoned them when the Darkness came for it, it decided to make its final stand to protect humanity. 

The City - The Last Safe City - is the last place on planet Earth that is truly secure for humanity, sitting in the shadow of the dead Traveler. 

The City is run by the Speaker, the Consensus, and the Vanguard. The three Vanguard leaders each represent one Guardian Order. 

Her Ghost says he knows which Order she’ll fit in with best, but he wants it to be a surprise for her. That’s no fun.

There’s a variety of enemies they’ll face, but the Fallen are the ones they’ll run into the most. They were the last species the Traveler blessed, and the last it abandoned.

Myss learns more about the Fallen in a less-than-pleasant manner. She’s sniped at by a Vandal from a hundred feet up, Marauders slice at her out of nowhere, and Dregs take aim at range. 

She’s able to fend them off successfully using her redwood walking stick and one of the Marauder’s blades, but not without taking a substantial amount of damage.

“I... I need a moment...” She says breathlessly, supporting herself against a tree.

 _[No rush. I’ve got you.]_  Her Ghost soothes. His beams run over her fresh wounds, leaving no trace they existed as they heal. Then, he freezes, and abruptly disappears into her backpack.  _[Actually maybe some rush. Did you hear that?]_

“Hear wh--”

// **[E ZER ET HUS](https://youtu.be/0V-XpzLX4YE?t=394)** //

She turns abruptly towards the guttural voice, and meets the glowing eyes of--

_[A Captain. No doubt this gang’s leader. And we just killed them all.]_

“What do we do?! He’s huge!” Her stillness and chatter seems to upset the Fallen Captain because--

// **[SHE DA HUR ET](https://youtu.be/0V-XpzLX4YE?t=224)** _//_

_[I’d grab one of the Dregs’ shock pistols. Quickly!]_

Myss does so, takes aim, and fires. The Captain dodges her shot and disappears briefly, reappearing about ten feet away from where he was. 

This repeats for several minutes, firing, dodging, firing again, until she gets impatient and just runs up to punch the Captain. Unfortunately, the Captain has two feet on her, and two more arms than she does. It’s easy for him to thwart her attack, grabbing her neck as she swings, then holds her up against a tree while his blades draw dangerously close to her torso.

// **[RA SHA HA](https://youtu.be/0V-XpzLX4YE?t=293)** //

Logically, she knows this won’t matter. She knows she’ll be back in a moment’s time. Dying still sucks, though. It’s still painful. It’s still defeat. She doesn’t want to lose. She doesn’t want to die again.

And - as if her pleas had been heard - a deafening gunshot rings through the air. The next thing she knows, the Captain disintegrates into a million burning embers, and she falls to the ground.

“What?” Myss breathes a heavy sigh of relief, resting a hand on her neck. “What happened?”

“I just saved your life’s what happened!”

A female figure in a violet hooded cloak - bathed in fire and wielding a flaming pistol - jogs up to her and offers her unarmed hand. Just as Myss goes to take the offered hand, the stranger’s gun and flames vanish.

This just added like ten questions to Myss’ list.

“Thanks! What the hell was that?!” She asks incredulously of the stranger. “That was... You really saved me the trouble of dying again.”

 _[You mean saved **me**  the trouble?]_ Her Ghost says, appearing over her shoulder.

“Hey! Dying hurts. It’s trouble for me, too.”

The stranger gasps. “You’re a Guardian, too!” Her helmet’s removed to reveal hair, lips, markings, and glowing eyes that match the flames that engulfed her just moments ago. “Lumo, you can come out, you know.”

 _{I know! I was just making sure the coast was clear.}_  The Ghost expands and reveals its sphere of Light, scanning the area. _{Looks like that Captain was the last of them. Good job, you two.}_

The two Awoken and the other Ghost all thank Lumo, and do a double take between each other before laughing over the confusion.

“I like you.” The orange-eyed Awoken says with a smile, offering her hand again. “Name’s Seraph Vim, and that’s Lumo.”

“Myss Thyss, and that’s...” Myss looks to her Ghost, who looks back expectantly. She hadn’t known she had to - and therefore hadn’t planned on -giving him a name. But-- “...Casper.”

Casper looks befuddled, and simultaneously delighted.

 _{Lovely to meet the both of you.}_  Lumo says, performing as much of a bow or curtsy as a Ghost could manage.  _{You’re on your way to The City as well?}_

_[That we are.]_

“Well why don’t we travel together?” Myss suggests to the group. “We’ll be safer that way, having someone to watch our backs.”

“You just want me to stick around so I can save you again.” Seraph teases with a smile and a nudge. “Don’t worry, I’d be happy to save you anytime, Myss.”

That got her to blush again. “Thanks. I’ll probably need it.” She sighs, looking over to her Gh... Casper. “Which way now? That fight got me turned around.”

 _[That-a-way!]_  Casper replies, facing his shell in the requested direction. The group heads off, Ghosts disappearing to the safety of their Guardians’ backpacks.

“How long have you and Lumo been traveling?” Myss asks after a lengthy silence.

Seraph tilts her head, looking absently upwards. “About a week or so, I’d say.” She replies. “He found me in a ship halfway up the mountain range, still strapped into my seat.”

Myss blinks. “Wait... a ship?” Her hand goes to her chest, ghosting over the jewel that sat below the fabric. “What do you remember about it?”

“The glass was shattered, the seat was purple at one point, and there was some sort of large flag in there.” Seraph turns so her back faced Myss, showing off the large emblem on her cloak. It’s made up of three yellow diamonds and two white triangles. Almost looks like a crown.  “It was cold up there, so I used this to warm up and I’ve decided to keep it.”

Myss nods thoughtfully, slightly envious of how stylish Seraph’s cloak is. “Mine was similar, believe it or not. Though, I think I was on the floor of the ship, far below the seat. And I was at the top of the mountain.”

“Really?” Seraph asks, incredulous. “How’d you get down here so fast?”

“Well...”

_[She fell.]_

“No. You didn’t.”

_[She was mere minutes old, had just figured out her name, and she slipped and fell two miles down the mountain.]_

Lumo bursts into laughter, forcing his Guardian to laugh as well.

The liquid light on Myss’ cheeks flares. “Shut up! The snow was loose! I lost my footing.”

“Oh my god, Myss. That’s fantastic. Looks like you  _will_  need me to save you.” Seraph wipes her eyes as her giggles subside.  “So... did you choose your name, or...?”

Myss knows what Seraph’s getting at with how her question trailed off, and she pulls out her jewel by the chain.

Seraph immediately does the same, though hers is a much lighter shade of purple. They speak almost in unison.

“Myss Thyss. Iris Commander.”

“Seraph Vim. Orchid Commander.”

There’s a pause as the pair absorb this new information.

Myss speaks first, quietly. “No way.” 

“Were we part of the same fleet?” Seraph adds in awe.

“I wonder if we knew each other.”

Seraph smiles and tuts. “I’m sure we did. We were both Commanders! We probably sat in a war room together  _at least_  once.”

_[You’d be right._ _There have been two conflicts that the Awoken were directly involved in.]_

_{And considering your ages, you were probably present for both of them.}_

The two Awoken look at each other, the weight of the information fully resting on their shoulders. 

Decades of history had likely occurred between them, and it was all lost when they crashed into that mountain. Now here they were, united again, with no recollection of any of it. They both felt slightly emptier than they had previously, but also more whole.

“Maybe that’s why I felt drawn to you.” Seraph almost whispers, keeping her eyes angled forward, avoiding Myss’ gaze. “Maybe knowing each other in our past lives helped us connect in our new lives.”

“Maybe,” Myss smiles softly, laying her arm over Seraph’s shoulder. “...but now we have eternity to make new memories with each other. We’ll make up for what we lost a hundred fold.”

Now it was Seraph’s turn to blush, her ripples resembling tiny flames on her cheeks. She smiles, which only makes those little flames brighter.

“Sounds like a plan.”


	4. Burning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Myss discovers her Super.

“How much further?” Myss groans, slouching dramatically as she walked. “It feels like we’ve been walking for weeks!”

 _[It’s only been **one**  week, Myss.]_ Casper states flatly from her backpack.  _[We're just about at Old Seattle.]_

“Didn’t Seattle have a thing called a  _Space Needle_?” Seraph asks from about ten steps ahead. “Why can’t we just find a ship there?”

 _{That’s just a tall pointy building with a funny name.}_  Lumo adds with a chuckle.  _{That building was the tallest in the area at one point. Now you can’t even see it around the skyscrapers.}_

Myss briefly wonders what the planet was like back when the Space Needle was the tallest thing in the area, but is distracted by the sunlight reflecting off of Seraph’s fiery orange hair. It reminds her of their meeting a few days ago, and of a question she didn’t ask then.

“Seraph?” Myss begins, prompting the other Guardian to turn to face her, hands clasped behind her back as she begins walking in reverse. “I’ve been meaning to ask, what  _was_  that... when you saved me from that Captain? That... that pistol you used, and you being covered in flames?”

“Oh!” Seraph exclaims, a smile growing on her face. “You mean this?”

Seraph reaches for the sky, produces the glowing pistol, and is immediately bathed in flames - just as she was when Myss first met her. The next thing she knows, Seraph aims for her head and pulls the trigger.

...

Burning, again. She was burning just a few moments ago as well. 

Myss could hear Seraph’s wild laughter, and now she’s burning for a whole new reason. The tips of her ears are on fire, and her vision is tinted red.

“WHAT THE  _FUCK_ , SERAPH?” Myss shouts angrily, getting to her feet.

“I-I’m sorry-y-y-y-y-y!” Seraph manages amidst her fits of giggles. “I could-I couldn’t help m-myself-f-f-f!”

The shorter Guardian is on the forest floor, clutching her stomach as she rolls through her hysteria. Myss is still pissed, so she stomps over and straddles Seraph, grabbing her cloak by the neck. “I trusted you! Why would you kill me like that?!”

“Wa-Wait!” Seraph pleads, draping her arm over her face as she tries to hide her smile. “Lu-Lumo told me it’s my Super!”

The red’s beginning to slowly drain from Myss’ vision at the information, and she relaxes her hold on the other’s cloak. “Super? What’s that?” 

“Yeah.” Seraph says with a heavy gulp. “I used it once before I met you to kill another Captain.” 

Myss scoots off of Seraph and sits on the ground, allowing The other to sit across from her as she explains.

“I was desperate, like you were. I thought I was going to die. I hadn’t died yet.” The other’s hands hover over her upper chest, making a vague swirling motion. “I just felt this - this energy build up inside of me. I grabbed it in an attempt to let it out, found a literal flaming pistol, and used it to put three bullets into the Captain’s eye.”

Myss is in awe, and Seraph shrugs.

“I’ve - I’ve never felt anything like that.” The taller Guardian says somberly. “Not even when I thought that Captain was going to kill me.” She sighs. “I had resigned myself to dying again, because I knew I’d just come back.”

 _[You should always be careful about that, Myss.]_ Casper pipes in, appearing in front of her.  _[When you die, I have no place to hide. I’m an obvious target.]_  The Ghost pauses.  _[If I get destroyed, I can’t bring you back.]_

Myss goes quiet, staring at the ground. “I didn’t know that. I’m sorry, Casper.”

 _[Don’t be sorry.]_ Casper soothes. _[I didn’t tell you, either.]_

Myss looks between her Ghost and Seraph. “I wonder what my Super is.” She says aloud, eyes moving to her hands.

 _{That depends on what Class you are.}_ Lumo adds, also making himself visible.  _{Each one has a different set they’re able to use.}_

The taller Guardian eyes her Ghost, who promptly disappears into her backpack.

“What’s with that?” Seraph asks, thumbing in the direction of where Casper just was. “He keeping something from you?”

“Yeah. He won’t tell me what Order he thinks I’ll belong to.” Myss stares over her shoulder to her imaginary backpack. “He wants me to be  _surprised_.”

Seraph gets to her feet and Lumo returns to her backpack, suggesting that they get moving. “Well, I was surprised. Maybe it won’t be so bad.”

“So you having the flaming pistol, what does that make you?”

 _{She’s a Gunslinger. A Hunter.}_ Lumo answers for her, and has a feeling he knows what the next question will be.  _{The other classes are Titan and Warlock. Titans are a much more physical defensive class, Warlocks are more research and support oriented. Hunters are more suited for solitary mobile scouting.}_

The next hour or so of the trip is spent explaining the classes and subclasses to the pair and, after that’s complete, Myss wants to try and find out for herself.

“So you said it was the fear of death that forced you to figure out your Super, right?” Myss asks of Seraph, who hums in confirmation. “You felt energy swirling within, and grabbed it?” She mimics the motions the other made earlier, trying to understand.

“Yeah. Though, that was for me. I don’t know if it’s the same for everyone.” Seraph responds, hip-checking her companion. “Don’t worry. I’m sure we’ll figure out what powers you have soon!”

Several hours of travel pass, and then they come across another Fallen camp. Thankfully they notice the banners first, and hang back to avoid getting ambushed.

“This could be a good opportunity to figure out what my super is!” Myss whispers excitedly, eyeing Seraph.

“Supers kill, and that’s a lot of Fallen you could kill,” Seraph responds. “but I’m not so sure about that. What if you end up dying, and put Casper in jeopardy?”

Myss reaches over to grab Seraph’s shoulder. “I’ve got you to save us, don’t I?” Then winks before charging headlong towards the Fallen camp.

Seraph wants to stop her, but also wants to watch.

Myss lets her instincts take over, hoping it unlocks something. Her adrenaline is coursing through her violently, allowing her to jump and reach a bough about ten feet off the ground. Using that as a figurative stepping stone, she’s able to get about a hundred feet above the centre of the Fallen camp in no time at all.

Myss eyes the camp below, takes a moment to breathe and center herself, and dives.

As the ground approaches, she feels her adrenaline burning and gathering in her chest, and mimics the motions Seraph showed her earlier. In this moment, she realizes that the adrenaline she'd been feeling was actually her Light, and she grabs it to form a physical manifestation of it.

She instinctually draws one arm back while extending the other, a vibrant purple bow forming in her hand, which screams with white-hot energy as she plummets. She can see the Dregs below look up towards the screech, and releases the arrow in the middle of the camp.

In the next moment, a ball of violet energy forms on the ground, and twenty or so lines burst forth from the ball to attach to every Fallen in the vicinity. She can feel the Light bursting from her body as she lands on top of the purple ball, using her stolen shock pistol to eliminate the trapped Fallen. Most of the camp lay dead before her when Captain appears from his tent.

The adrenaline - her Light - is still coursing through her as strongly as it was when she fell. She mimics the movements again, and is able to produce another bow and arrow, which she aims directly at the Captain. The arrow is let loose and hits, disintegrating the Captain into purple energy not unlike how the first Captain did at Seraph’s hands several days ago.

Myss exhales, the high from using her Super for the first time crashing down hard on her.

 _[You’re a Nightstalker!]_  Casper cheers, spinning happily as he appears in front of her.  _[You’re a Hunter, too! I was right!]_

Seraph runs up from behind, wrapping her arms tightly around Myss’ waist. “You did it!” She cheers. “I didn’t have to save you!” Her grip tightens briefly, her head pressing against the taller Hunter’s chest as she hugged. “I’m so proud of you.”

Myss’ arm wraps over Seraph’s shoulder, the other going to her forearm. “I can’t believe it!” She exclaims. “I couldn’t have done it without your help.” Her lips instinctually go to Seraph’s forehead, and the arm on her forearm moves to her hip. “Thank you, Seraph.”

The flames on Seraph’s cheeks return, and she tightens her grip on Myss again.

Casper and Lumo hang back, whirring excitedly at the sight of their Guardians embracing.

Myss found she could come to enjoy burning if it felt this good.


	5. Lullaby

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **9 months later**  
>  • If you want to skip to Chapter 7, I won't blame you. Actually, I implore you to do this.  
> • This is where it gets uber cheesy  
> • I'm not a huge fan of how I wrote this anymore  
> • Don't have the energy to rewrite it
> 
> You've been warned.
> 
> * * *
> 
> A short, fluffy one about singing.

The pair decided to bed down in the recently empty Fallen camp for the night, making use of the copious banners and the Captain’s tent to make shelter. A fire is stoked, and the two Guardians - the two Hunters - make themselves comfortable.

Myss is reclining, staring up at the canopy of the forest. There’s an opening directly over the camp, allowing a small peek at the night sky above. She spots several streaks of various colours pass overhead, most of which were followed by faint roars.

“What are those, Casper?” Myss asks, drawing Seraph’s attention.

 _[Those are Guardian ships.]_  Her Ghost answers.  _[They’re entering and leaving orbit, probably coming to or from the City.]_

Myss hums thoughtfully, eagerly awaiting the day she and Seraph could join them up there. It was close, she could feel it. Only a week or two’s more worth of travel left and they’d be there, and now her mind is painfully awake as she imagines all the adventures the two would go on together. 

Seraph also begins humming, but hers quickly turns melodic as she whittles at a wooden stake with one of the dead Marauders’ blades. She’d done this every night they’d spent together,  but this night is the first she adds lyrics.

> _It’s a cold angry evening, like one you’d spend inside_  
>  Counting the ships overhead and wanting to fly by their side  
>  It’s a cold, empty campsite on your first night alone  
>  And you’re reachin’ while you’re dreaming - just wanting to be home

Myss sits up to watch Seraph while she sings. She’s not sure if the other Hunter notices this, because she enters the next verse quickly. 

> _The seasons roll, we won’t grow old, but we’ll be wiser every day_  
>  Foes will come, we’ll fight on and forget those foes someday  
>  Facing the unknown  
>  Feeling right at home with your family.

Seraph’s hums trail off, and she looks to Myss with a weak smile. She knew she’d heard her, but not that she was watching, causing the little flames to return to her cheeks as she blushes.

Myss applauds gently, and goes to sit beside Seraph. “I loved it.” She adds, placing her hand on the other’s knee. “Can you keep going?”

Seraph chuckles. “I think I can try.” Reaching to wrap her arms around Myss’ shoulders, she pulls the taller Hunter close. Seraph lays the other’s head on her chest as they both recline to look at the stars. 

> _Come into this world with fire in our lungs_  
>  Straight to this war we’re immediately flung  
>  You’re given the Light and told to fight  
>  It’s a wonder we can sleep at night

Myss’ eyes begin to droop, the weight of the day’s revelations weighing heavily on her, but she wants so badly to stay awake and listen to Seraph’s singing.

> _We make our way to where they call home_  
>  _Wanting to feel a little less alone  
>  Some succeed before they get there  
>  Finding they've made an inseparable pair_

Myss is almost gone, snuggling into Seraph’s chest as she sings her to sleep. The one night she’s falling asleep easily is also the one where she wants to stay awake the most.

> _Takes a little time to just warm up_  
>  To get used to this new shake-up  
>  Takes a few days of sharing space  
>  _To know, that you, I’d never replace_

Seraph can tell by Myss’ breathing that she’s fallen asleep. The taller Hunter had a hard time with that on the nights previous to this, so she’s glad she’s found a way to get her there in mere moments. She’ll have to remember that for future nights.

“Goodnight, Myss.” Seraph says, leaning to place a light kiss on the mark on her forehead. “Sleep well. You’ve earned it.”


	6. Armed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **9 months later**  
>  • If you want to skip this one, I won't blame you. Actually, I implore you to do this.  
> • Still cheesy  
> • I'm not a huge fan of how I wrote this anymore  
> • Don't have the energy to rewrite it
> 
> Anyways
> 
> * * *
> 
> A fluffier buffer chapter.

The next morning, the pair of Hunters wake to the sound of various birds in the canopy of the forest, finding themselves still entangled as they were when they fell asleep.

“That was... the best night’s sleep I’ve had this entire trip.” Myss says to Seraph as she stretches. “I think it’s your singing that did it. Thank you.”

“Oh.” Seraph smiles meekly, her cheeks lighting up. “It’s no trouble. The words just... came to me.” 

Casper and Lumo are floating off to the side, eyeing each other knowingly.

Myss gets to her feet and straightens out her cloak, sweeping her eyes over the remains of the Fallen camp. “Think we should raid this place?” She asks, winking at Seraph just as she picks up a large weapon.

The other Hunter laughs once. “Of course! Though it looks like most of it was welded together last night...”

 _{That’s the Fallen for you.}_  Lumo states, scanning the weapon his Guardian picked up.  _{This one fires shrapnel. Be careful.}_

Seraph rolls her eyes. “I’ll be fine so long as I’m not the one in front of the gun!”

Myss chuckles, searching what seems to be the armory. “Some of these weapons over here definitely stand out.” She says, picking up a gun with a glowing blue dome on the side.

 _[It’s Guardian-made.]_  Casper explains while scanning.  _[That one’s an Omolon type scout rifle. A very good find, though the Fallen probably took it off of a Guardian they killed. It’s a wonder they hadn’t dismantled it yet.]_

The taller Hunter almost feels bad, but then she finds another weapon, and adds it to her loadout.

Seraph soon joins her, finding a Häkke type hand cannon, and another Omolon type, but an auto rifle instead.

They manage to also scavenge some helmets that the Fallen weren’t wearing anymore, if only for rudimentary facial protection until they get to the City.

“Well. I’d consider us armed and ready.” Seraph says once the pair have loaded up. “Ready to keep going, partner?”

“Of course.” Myss says, smiling at the kind-of sort-of pet name. “Let’s go.”

Their journey is most often made up of long stretches of contented silence, which continues today. They make idle comments about creatures they see or views they enjoy, and the occasional enemy they come across.

Before they know it, it’s dark again, and time to set up camp for the night. Luckily, there’s a shallow cave nearby, which means no shelter to set up. They quickly make themselves comfortable, sitting on opposite sides of the fire from the other.

They’re both slightly bothered by this, but neither knows how to bring it up.

Their Ghosts, once again, are floating off to the side, eyes moving back and forth from the pair. They know they shouldn’t interfere, but oh how they want to.

“Um...” Myss begins after tossing for twenty minutes, unable to sleep. “I-I just.” She exhales, sitting up so she can see Seraph, her cheeks bright. “It was. Really nice laying with you last night. I-I slept so well and I think I’m going to need that tomorrow. And... maybe the next night, too.”

“Oh. Well.” Seraph responds, her cheeks bright as well. She smiles, getting to feet and crossing the cave to sit beside her tall partner. “I’ll be glad to help. Do you think my songs will help too?”

Myss practically beams, turning to face Seraph. “Absolutely. I love your voice.”

Seraph giggles, draping her hand over Myss’ hip. “Let’s see what comes to me tonight.” She shuts her eyes and, not a minute later, a tune starts emanating from her throat. Soon after, it’s followed by words.

> _I will stand and shoot my gun_  
>  And watch all my foes burn  
>  I’ve walked all these miles with you  
>  And from it I’ve learned
> 
> _Your pretty voice it clouds my head_  
>  Your smile makes me dance  
>  I can see this road ahead  
>  Let’s give ourselves a chance

Myss interrupts her partner’s singing, placing a finger to her lips. Her cheeks are on absolute fire, and her grin shows it’s pleasant. “I had a feeling but... I wasn’t sure.” She eyes her partner suspiciously. “Have you... been serenading me these last couple of nights, Seraph?”

The other Hunter gulps, looking away in embarrassment. “I thought I was being subtle...” A pause, her own face flaring up. “Do you want me to stop?”

“Not at all.” Myss replies confidently, pulling Seraph closer. “Keep going.”

Seraph does just that.

> _Your winks_  
>  Your stares  
>  You stop my heart cold  
>  You make me feel young  
>  And we’re only days old 
> 
> _There are so many things_  
>  We're going to see  
>  And through it all  
>  You’ll be with me

Myss isn’t sure if it’s Seraph’s pure solar energy that’s making her feel this warm and content, or if it’s just the fire. Either way, it’s comforting enough to put her to sleep once Seraph’s second verse is finished.

Seraph doesn’t mind, of course. Though it takes her slightly longer than usual to drift off due to the sheer euphoria that the discovery of mutual feelings brings. She’s asleep a few moments later, and the two rest in a comfortable embrace.

Their two Ghosts would be high-fiving and hugging if they could.

* * *

Another week passes, and their journey is almost over.

“Finally!” The taller Hunter exclaims as the Aeroport’s giant glass structure comes into view. “Three weeks, we’ve made it.”

The shorter Hunter smiles, exhaling softly. “We’re going home.”

Myss wraps an arm around Seraph’s shoulder, hugging her briefly. “What do you think we’ll do first?” She asks, her eyes seeming to glow impossibly brighter at the prospect of new adventures.

“I hope we get sent out to take care of a pesky Captain.” Seraph jokes, elbowing her partner. “We know how to deal with those.”

“Yeah! I can ambush them from above again!” Myss cheers, mimicking the motions of firing her Shadowshot. “Only this time, I think I’ll try jumping from _three_ hundred feet up!”

The pair burst into laughter, both of their Ghosts joining in on the chorus of giggles.

 _[You won’t be dealing with Captains so much anymore.]_  Casper encourages, sitting in the crook of his Guardian’s hood.  _[You’ll be dealing with Archon Priests, with Servitors, and with Walkers.]_

 _{If you’re lucky, you’ll be able to take down a Prime Servitor!}_ Lumo adds, floating lazily above his Guardian’s shoulder.

The two Hunters “ooh” in awe, full of hope and eager to meet what the future has in store for them head-on. 


	7. Angel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **9 months later**  
>  • The aura in this chapter is like. To be expected. You'll see.  
> • I needed an excuse to explain something in Chapter 12
> 
> Without further ado
> 
> * * *
> 
> Strap in. This one's gonna be a doozy.

It takes them another hour or so of envisioning their future before they reach the edge of the Aeroport, the final destination in their journey. After a quick inspection of the area, the pairs’ Ghosts suggest taking an entrance on the west side of the building in order to have the best chance of finding a ship or two. They find such an entrance in the form of a gaping hole in three stories of glass, and make their way inside.

It’s a minor maze initially, following signs through the old passenger area and towards the central hangar, but eventually they find their way. The walls begin to show signs of rot, and there’s a hard gunky buildup on the floor as they close in on their target.

Both Hunters suddenly get the feeling that this won’t be an easy “grab and go” mission. They pull down their masks, pull up their hoods, and ready their weapons.

“I have... a very bad feeling about this place.” Seraph comments as the weight of Darkness falls upon their shoulders. The pairs’ Ghosts light the way as they continue their trek into the old Aeroport, sticking closer than usual as a precaution.

Myss is looking down the scope of her scout, waiting to pop any head that enters her vision. While concentrating, she almost misses the guttural clicking sounds that begin to surround them, and the squishing noises their footsteps now make. She spots three glowing eyes ahead, pops a bullet into them without thinking, and hears screaming.

 _{[Hive!]}_  Casper and Lumo exclaim at the same time.

Seeing the large number of oncoming foes, Myss fires her Shadowshot at the horde’s feet, tethers them all, and makes easy targets of them. The two Hunters fight them - Thralls, they learn - rather well, the pair almost in sync as they threw blow after blow at them. There’s no time to revel in their abilities however, as they’re greeted by several larger Hive, and a floating one as they enter the next room.

The pair waste no time in attacking the larger Hive, but they don’t manage well. Trading blows just means they get hit twice as hard, and the brawl eventually leads to Seraph falling to a Knight’s blade.

_[Guardian down!]_

When her partner’s not back after a few seconds, Myss begins to panic, and dodges away from the Acolyte she was currently engaged with to assist her. After the dodge, she finds the Hive are all mildly confused for a moment, which gives her just enough time to revive Seraph, who thanks her before returning to combat. They fight for another several minutes, each falling two or three times, and each helps the other up every time.

“I don’t - I don’t know if we can do this, Seraph!” Myss shouts, dodging away from a Knight’s swing. “We should leave, and find another entrance.”

As soon as she suggests that, a toxic fog blocks their exit.

Seraph manages to knock down the last of the Knights on her side, and fires on the one Myss is left with. “We can do this.” She states confidently, standing firm beside her partner.

The floating Hive - the Wizard - releases a deafening screech, prompting another wave of Hive, as well as a floating ball in a conical cage - a Shrieker - that reminds Myss of what her Super looks like.

The pair exhales sternly in unison, doubts forming as they steel themselves for the next wave.

The pair die a few more times - revival always aided by the other - before Seraph decides that enough is enough and pops her Super, taking aim at the Wizard. She fires once, which its enough to break its shield, but misses the other two shots as it manages to move out of the way just in time.

“Dammit!” Seraph knows she won’t have another chance like this again. Myss used her own Super when they entered, and she probably doesn’t have it back yet. Every time they eliminate a wave, another comes rushing in, and they can’t avoid them for long enough to be able to focus on putting a dent in the Wizard. They’re out of options.

She can tell Lumo’s reaching his limit, which means Casper probably is too. They need to do something crazy, and Seraph has just the idea for that. She’s not sure if it’ll work, and there’s only one way to find out. 

But there’s something she has to do first, just in case.

In the brief calm before the next wave, Seraph pulls Myss aside. She drapes her own cloak over her partner, rips their helmets off, and smiles at the other’s puzzled expression. Wasting no time, she pulls herself up to press her lips against the taller Hunter’s. Myss is shocked and confused, but melts into the kiss immediately.

And then it’s over.

“Get ready to run.” Seraph orders, putting their helmets back in place.

“What?!” Myss yells, grabbing onto the other’s shoulder. “No! I’m not leaving you!”

“You’re not. I’ll be right behind you.” Seraph assures Myss, wanting so desperately to believe that it will be true.

After a breath, Myss moves her hand from Seraph’s shoulder to the top of her head, bringing their helmet-clad heads together with a light thud.

“You better be.” She orders, then releases her partner.

Myss trusts Seraph with whatever crazy idea she has to get them out of this hell, believing that she’ll come out unscathed. 

Seraph runs towards the center of the horde, and ultimately towards the Wizard. Myss hangs back by the door, but still fairly inside the room. She’s ready to run like hell once Seraph gets clear, but is also ready to help if she’s needed.

“Myss! Get out of here!” Seraph yells when she notices her partner lingering inside the room. “I’ll hold them off!” She gets to the Wizard’s side and, just as she’s about to attack, Lumo’s pained shrieks ring out through the room, causing the two Guardians to freeze in panic.

{It-It’s got me! Seraph!} Lumo cries as he’s pulled from Seraph and towards the Wizard, the Light visibly draining from his optic. {Seraph! R-Run... Go! I can’t...}

“NO!” Seraph wails as her Ghost is sapped of his Light, catching his empty shell as it fell. “No! Lumo!” Tears stream down her face as she clutches his body to her chest.

Myss is frozen in place, and can feel that Casper is too, having never imagined they would see something so painful in their entire existence. She quickly realizes what this means for Seraph’s fate, and tears begin welling in her eyes. She _has_ to save her partner from that Wizard before it kills her, so she begins running towards them.

“No!” Seraph points at Myss. Bright, pained orange eyes meet her own, melting with her tears. “Get to the City!” She orders, voice breaking. “Live!” The Wizard’s making hand motions again, similar to the ones it made when it took Lumo, and she knows this is the end for her. “I l-”

But those last words never get out, and are instead replaced with her screams as the Wizard performs its ritual.

Myss’ face drops in absolute horror and disbelief as she watches her partner transform - murdered - before her.

“Seraph...?” She quietly calls in desperation, her tears now flowing violently.

“Seraph!” She tries again, her eyes refusing to believe what they saw.

“Seraph, no...” She weeps, falling to her knees as a purple crystal takes her partner’s place, beginning to glow bright with her stolen Light.

“NO!”

The Hunter releases one last angry defiance before hopping up and firing her Shadowshot directly at the Wizard, who disintegrates into violent violet energy with a scream. The remaining ball tethers to the horde of Hive that surrounded its victim, trapping them all where they stood.

The Wizard’s death somehow destroyed the structural stability of the crystal, and Seraph’s stolen Light - Void Light - is exposed and tangible. Myss knows what she has to do.

Wasting no time, she rushes up to where her partner fell, grabs Lumo’s empty shell, tucks Seraph’s Light under her arm, and makes for the exit. Thankfully, the fog on the door has dissipated - likely also controlled by the Wizard - and she’s able to run out the way she came.

Like when she discovered her Super, Myss allows her instincts to guide her out of the Hive-infested Aeroport, as she’s currently incapable of coherent thought. She makes it out after a few minutes, not stopping until her legs give out.

Whether it's the sheer devastation, or the effort it took to summon that small amount of extra Light to call upon her Super, she collapses when she reaches the forest.

Myss never releases the ball of Light that once belonged to Seraph, keeping it tight against her chest. She lets her despair ring out through the forest, wailing in grief for several minutes, rocking back and forth as she holds on to the ball as if her life depended on it.

“S-S-Seraph...” Myss whispers with an extreme shake in her voice. “Y-you id-iot-t-t... W-we.. We we-r-re sup-p-p-osed to...” She can’t bring herself to finish the statement.

“Th-th-thank you-u-u.” She finally resorts to saying, pushing any regret to the back of her mind. Holding the ball against her chest burns, but she ignores it. “Thank you f-f-for s-saving m-m-me one-one last t-time.”

“I l-” She starts, though is unable to complete the heavy statement on the first try. “I lo- I-I l-l-love... l-love you t-t-too. S-so m-much. I-I’ll miss-s-s-s you-u-u.”

Myss knows it’s not the same, but - in lieu of more stuttered words - she places her lips on the ball of Seraph’s Light. It burns, but she welcomes it.

Over the next few moments, the Hunter can feel the size of the ball slowly shrinking, but it never feels like it’s gone. Seraph’s Light still feels the same, though the burning is increasing and concentrated over her chest, directly above where her jewel pendant rested on her breast.

“W-what’s hap-p-pening?” She asks her Ghost, who appears in front of her.

He has to shake off the shock in order to answer his Guardian.  _[I-I think...]_  Casper begins, chirping in disbelief.  _[I think you’re absorbing her Light, Myss - her Void Light.]_

“What? H-how...? How is that... am I d-doing that?!” Myss asks as she watches the ball continually shrink.

 _[I’m not... not sure.]_  Casper begins a scan of his Guardian, floating a step backwards in confusion.  _[I... I feel more Light within you than usual, more than what I gave you.]_ He blinks, his back half spinning as he thought.  _[I think... The only thing I can think of is that Seraph’s Light must have known it was being held by you, and knew it was safe - that it’d be safe with you and your Light.]_

Myss’ tears, though they never stopped, now flow with a new vigor. The Hunter is blinded by the ocean of grief that floods her eyes, but now it’s overwhelmingly mixed with joy, pride, euphoria, and love. Her arms wrap tightly around her torso as the last of Seraph’s light is merged with hers, and the ball disappears. The burn from the process remains in the now glowing crystal that rests on her breast, which she clutches in her hands.

“Thank you, Seraph.” Myss sniffles. “For staying with me.”

A moment passes in which the Hunter breathes deeply to centre herself, but instead she feels a new fire within her, one she hasn’t felt before. She gets to her feet and lifts her head, cocking it in a motion that beckons her Ghost to return to her backpack.

Casper doesn’t question his Guardian, knowing her nerves have steeled and that her mind is clear as they head back towards the Aeroport. She’s determined to succeed, and she will.

Myss returns to the dreaded room calmly and quietly, and is greeted with a chorus of screeches and wails. She can feel a smaller energy - a much hotter burn - form in her palm, and she pitches it towards the oncoming horde, which bursts into bright orange flames on contact.

She relishes in their pained screams and, a few moments later, the horde is dealt with. The Wizard fell at her hands earlier, which means now the Shrieker is the only obstacle she has between her and a ship.

Her Light is making her fingertips burn, and she smiles knowingly. Myss thrusts her arm to the sky, and a brilliant, familiar, flaming pistol forms in her hand.

Her first Golden Gun.

Without missing a beat, Myss aims all shots at the Shrieker’s cracked eye, and it disintegrates into millions of burning embers.

With all the Hive in the room cleared out, Myss can clearly see the entirety of it, and spots a couple ships in the very back of the room - behind where the Shrieker was floating.

They were  _so close_.

Myss clutches her necklace, and approaches the ships.

 _[This one’s in the best shape.]_  Casper states of an angular ship after scanning the lot.  _[Let’s go home.]_

The Hunter takes a moment to return to the empty husk that once held Seraph’s transformed frame, and brushes a hand gently along it. She removes her own gray cloak and places it on the shell, her vision going blurry. Myss allows the second wave of grief to take her, wrapping her arms around herself as her tears flow fresh.

Several minutes pass with the Hunter crying quietly next to her partner’s remains, which Casper lets Myss have. He wouldn’t say she’s earned it, but the pair deserved to have a proper goodbye.

The Hunter’s sobs soon morph into a broken, melodic tune, one that Casper was familiar with. 

“ _You’d wink... You'd stare... You’d stop my heart cold. You’d make me feel young, and we’re only days old..._ ” A sniffle, her voice turning thick. “ _There were so many things we planned to be... And all of you, was loved by me..._ ”

If a Ghost could cry, Casper would. He could feel how heartbroken and devastated his Guardian was, and he wished there was a way he could cheer her up. He knew there wasn’t, at least not right now, but he would try his best with the memories he’d collected over the past few weeks.

But he’d try that another time. The Hunter appears to be calming down, and his highest priority now is getting her safely to the City.

Just by looking at her, by seeing the extra Light she now possessed, he knew Myss now had an angel to watch over her as long as she lived. Well, other than him, of course.

Myss stands a few seconds later, holding Seraph’s gifted cloak tightly, and turns towards her Ghost.

“Let’s go home.”


	8. Anniversary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Myss gets to the City.

The speed in which the Hunter and her Ghost arrive at the City is jarring, especially after it took three weeks just to find the ship they’re currently flying. Myss barely has enough time to understand the controls before they’re pulling up to the courtyard and Casper announces that he’s transmatting her onto the ground.

She hasn’t had time to really process anything that’s happened in the last hour properly, and yet their journey has already come to an end.

 _[Welcome to the Last City. The only place on Earth the Traveler can protect anymore.]_  Casper announces once they’re out of the ship, moving right along with welcoming Myss to her new home.  _[And this here is where the Guardians live. The Tower.]_

There’s people taking down banners with yellow stars on them, others sweeping away snow, and countless Guardians all on their own missions milling about the Tower. It’s mildly overwhelming, but it’s also beautiful, which Myss comments on out loud.

 _[It is.]_  Casper responds in agreement.  _[I haven’t been here in a long time. It’s nice to be back.]_

A moment of silence passes between the two, Myss clutching her necklace the entire time.

 _[Well, let’s get you introduced to the Vanguard, shall we? They’re expecting you.]_ Casper floats ahead to show Myss the way, and she diligently follows.

The pair pass by towers of computers, several simple robots, a creepy green woman, and a large orange and white man before they finally arrive at the Hall of Guardians, the Vanguard’s base of operations. 

“Ah, it seems we have a new recruit.” The Awoken Vanguard announces to his fellow leaders, making his way around the long table towards Myss and Casper.

 _[Zavala. Cayde-6. Ikora.]_  Casper addresses the three Guardians.  _[This is Myss.]_

“Welcome to the Tower, Myss.” The female - Ikora, she assumes - bows ever so slightly. “We’re glad to have you on board.”

“Happy to be here.” Myss responds, looking between the three of them.

“You’ll be a great addition to the Titan Order, Myss.” The Awoken - Zavala - says proudly as he approaches her further, which Myss responds to by taking a step backwards.

“Titan?” She says with confusion, looking to her Ghost and then back to the trio. “I’m a Hunter.”

The third Vanguard leader - Cayde-6 - seems to be paying attention now, and his eyes light up (even more, if they could) when he approaches Myss.

“Well, well. I certainly wouldn’t have taken you for a Hunter at first glance, but you obviously have the fashion sense of one.” In addition to the compliment, the Exo reaches for the ends of her cloak - Seraph’s Cloak - and she pulls away instinctively. Cayde-6 appears slightly off-put, and Myss regrets her sudden reflex.

“I-I’m sorry about that.” Myss apologizes, pushing her cloak behind her. “I’ve had...” She inhales. “... a rough couple of hours. I’m still working through it.”

“Now that you mention it...” Zavala begins. “We were expecting  _two_  Guardians coming from the same point of origin.” He turns to her, suspicion in his eyes. “ _Your_ point of origin.”

Myss looks away, grabbing onto her necklace. She inhales slowly, preparing to answer, but Casper does it for her.

_[Hive. In the old Aeroport near San Francisco.]_

The three Vanguard leaders all seem to understand, and offer their condolences. Zavala and Ikora wish the pair well without any further questions, while Cayde-6 stays for a few more moments. Myss expects it’s likely for a class-specific debriefing, and she’s about half right.

“So, Hunter. First item of business.” Cayde-6 begins, pulling out a very large blade seemingly from nowhere. “Here’s your standard-issue, all-purpose Hunter Knife. Good for killing bad guys and looking cool. Keep it close, you never know when it’ll come in handy.”

Myss examines it for a moment, nods, and stows it in her hip holster.

“Second item of business.” He holds up the corresponding number of fingers. “What’s your element of choice?”

“I think... Casper told me it’s Void.” She looks to her Ghost, and he nods. “Yeah, Void. The one with the bow.”

“A Nightstalker! Awesome.” Cayde-6 exclaims, making a mental note. “We don’t have too many of those, so you could be very handy on certain assignments.”

“I’ll be ready.” She assures him.

“Good. Third item of business.” Cayde gestures the number with his fingers again, then lowers his voice. “That’s not your cloak, is it?”

Myss freezes, grabbing her hood. She inhales and then answers. “It was hers - the Guardian who fell. She gave it to me before sacrificing herself so I could get out alive.”

Cayde seems to relate, clapping a hand on her shoulder. “We’re in similar boats, kid.” He points a thumb at his own cloak. “This one belonged to the last guy who had this job. He was a very good friend of mine, so I know how you feel.” He releases Myss, gesturing his head towards the door. “Head to your quarters and get some sleep. We’ll call on you if we have anything for you to do.”

Myss bows slightly, thanking her Vanguard, and taking her leave. The large orange man in the next room is booming to some other Guardians about something called the “Crucible”, but she can’t bring herself to focus on that at the moment. She instead follows Casper as he leads her to her quarters, and immediately goes to the lavatory to wash the journey off of her.

Though, upon seeing her reflection in the mirror for the first time, she screams and falls back into the tub behind her.

 _[What is it?]_  Casper asks, looking down at his frightened Guardian as she begins weeping in the tub. _[Myss, what happened?]_

“M-My head! My face!” She places a finger against the marking between her eyebrows, looking up at her Ghost. “It’s... It’s the Shrieker, Casper!” Myss breaks. “Has... Has that always been there?!”

 _[It’s okay, Myss.]_  He croons, floating down to hover over her chest.  _[That’s been there the whole time, yes. It was there in your past life, too. Don’t worry, the Shrieker didn’t do anything to you.]_

Myss sniffles, calming down slightly. “I’m gonna be reminded of it - of  _her_  -  every time I look in the mirror.” She says thickly, wiping her eyes and getting to her feet.

 _[Yes, but you also have your necklace and her cloak.]_  He reassures.  _[Good things that remind you of her.]_

The Hunter nods, trying her best to move past the mark on her forehead. Instead, she focuses on the god-awful half-head of hair she possessed.

“Okay. Wait.” She puts out a hand to accentuate that last word. “Is this  _really_  the hair you revived me with? I’ve been walking around looking like this for  _three_   _weeks_?”

 _[It’s a bit unorthodox, I agree.]_  Casper states, looking at her through the mirror.  _[There must have been some reason you kept it like that.]_

“Whatever that was doesn’t matter anymore, buddy.” She dismisses, and begins searching the already-stocked toiletry cabinet for anything sharp, eventually finding a pair of scissors and a razor. 

_[You sure about this?]_

“I’m sure. Besides, it’s a new start.” Myss exhales, trying to convince herself. “Isn’t cutting your hair symbolic of that, or something?”

_[In some ancient cultures, yes.]_

“Well then. Let’s get with the new beginnings.”

It takes her a little while to get all of the wacky spiral mohawk removed, its shape having been so unorthodox that it made it more difficult. She cursed her past self for being so individualistic all the while, but it was past her now. All that’s left of the mohawk is a slightly darker line of hair that shaded where it once was, and a sink full of the evidence.

“That feels much better.” She comments, rubbing her hands along her now mostly-bald scalp. “Looks much better, too.”

 _[Here, let me re-scan you.]_  Casper offers, already scanning.  _[Just so I don’t bring you back with the mohawk next time.]_

“Thanks, buddy.” Myss smiles, petting him. “You’re always looking out.”

_[That’s what I do best.]_

 

* * *

 

Myss gets into the groove of being a Guardian easily, and even goes on her first strike the day after she arrived. The team needed a Nightstalker for the job, for which she was happy to oblige. Her skills become somewhat of a demand for strike teams, and she’s always willing to help. Since none of her teams stick around after the strike, it becomes a good setup for her as well, since it gives her an excuse to stay removed from the social part of Guardian life.

When she’s not on the job running strikes, she’s in the Crucible. She went back and learned more about it from the orange man - Lord Shaxx - a few days after she arrived. She was instantly charmed by his genuine desire to make Guardians stronger, and to make sure they come back alive. His values aligned with hers in an unexpected way, and so she dedicated herself to becoming stronger in the Crucible, so that she and others make it home. 

Myss starts to become a fan favourite, but shies away from the limelight. Instead, she consults with Shaxx on becoming one of his Redjacks, working in the background. He agrees easily due to her preexisting prowess in the Crucible, but is sad to see her put the combat on the backburner.

The next twelve months are rather uneventful overall. The regular schedule consists of strikes, arena scouting, the odd crucible match to let off steam, and some patrols here and there to have some solitary time with Casper.

 

* * *

 

Almost on the anniversary of her arrival, Myss finds herself sitting atop the highest point she can find above the Guardian dormitories, staring out at the Traveler as it sat quietly above the Last City.

 _[It’s been a year since I found you, you know.]_ Casper says, interrupting the silence.

“Has it really?” Myss responds, looking incredulously at her Ghost. “It feels like it’s only been half of that.” She reaches for her glowing necklace, which she still wears. It no longer burns, but the Light within it does. “I miss her.”

 _[I know you do. I miss her, too. But...]_ He pauses, floating in front of his Guardian.  _[I know for a fact she’s never left you. I can feel it in your Light.]_

Myss smiles, holding her necklace even tighter.

_[I never showed you, but I’ve been holding onto some things for a while. I wanted to save them for a special occasion, and your birthday’s perfect for that.]_

She watches her Ghost move to her shoulder, and then turns her attention to where he’s facing.

He’s projecting a holovid in front of her. It’s herself back when she had that god-awful mohawk, standing proudly. She can see herself exhale, and suddenly knows what’s coming.

Myss clasps a hand over her mouth, tears welling in anticipation. “You didn’t...”

Casper sounds almost smug in his response. _[I did.]_

She can hear Casper congratulating her on finding her super, but it’s quickly overshadowed by the arms she can see wrap around the image of herself, and the voice that accompanies them.

 

> _“You did it! I didn’t have to save you! I’m so proud of you.”_

Myss can almost feel the hug the holoimage is being given.

 

> _“I can’t believe it! I couldn’t have done it without your help.”_

She touches her lips as she sees the image press its own against Seraph’s forehead, and she mouths the next words as if she were saying them now.

 

> _“Thank you, Seraph.”_

The holovid ends with them embracing, and quickly flicks to the next one. This one is only of Seraph whittling away at a piece of wood, singing a song Myss remembered, and she finds herself joining in.

 

> _It’s a cold angry evening, like one you’d spend inside._  
>  Counting the ships overhead and wanting to fly by their side.  
>  It’s a cold, empty campsite on your first night alone.  
>  And you’re reachin’ while you’re dreaming - just wanting to be home.
> 
> _The seasons roll, we won’t grow old, but we’ll be wiser every day._  
>  Foes will come, we’ll fight on and forget those foes someday.  
>  Facing the unknown.  
>  Feeling right at home with your family.

The image of herself moves to sit with Seraph, encouraging her to continue.

 

> _Come into this world with fire in our lungs._  
>  Straight to this war we’re immediately flung.  
>  You’re given the Light and told to fight.  
>  It’s a wonder we can sleep at night.
> 
> _We make our way to where they call home._  
>  Wanting to feel a little less alone.  
>  Some succeed before they get there.  
>  Finding they've made an inseparable pair.
> 
> _Takes a little time to just warm up._  
>  To get used to this new shake-up.  
>  Takes a few days of sharing space.  
>  To know, that you, I’d never replace.

Myss had fallen asleep during that last verse, and her tears flow over when she finally hears it for the first time.

 

> _“Goodnight, Myss.” The tiny image of Seraph says, and leans to place a light kiss on the mark on her forehead. “Sleep well. You’ve earned it.”_

The image prepares to skip, but their solitude is interrupted by weaponized whistling and explosions.

The pair whips around to stare at the source of the sound, only to see the Tower explode in a fiery crumble. Just past of the edge of the City, they can see a platoon of Cabal ships, and a larger ship begins opening up as it approaches the center of the City.

Immediately the Hunter is on her feet, running along the rooftop towards the Tower, avoiding explosions as she does. The revisited happy memories are already forgotten as she rushes to aid anyone she can.

Myss manages to get to the Hangar as the evacuation order is given, is instructed to load up civilians into the transports, and escort them away from the City. She does as she’s told, and is on a full transport in just a few minutes. 

The radio is spotty with the weather and the chaos, and all she can hear is « -o Felwinter's peak. It's - *static* - only hope - *static* - ships have got. Fly fast, fly safe. »

The pilots flick several switches and lock the doors, launching out of the hangar. The civilians in the ship are all shaking in fear and uncertainty, and Myss looks out of the back window to avoid falling victim to the panic.

As her eyes are trained backwards, she can see an orange glow flow over the Traveler, and she’s suddenly on the floor as her connection from the Light is severed.


	9. Green

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Myss makes a friend.

By the time Myss comes to, the transport is landing, and there are several civilians looking her over in concern. She finds Casper’s blinking shell laying in front of her face, weakly reaching for it. He seems to be stirred by the movement, and his optic tries to find her face.

 _[Myss...]_  He says weakly.  _[The Light... It’s gone... I can’t feel it...]_

Myss is trying to get to her feet, but she feels so heavy without the Light. “Th-that means...”

_[If something happens... I can’t... bring you back...]_

Slowly but surely, the Hunter makes it to her feet, and begins walking towards the front of the ship. She finds the other two Guardians on the ship also clutching their Ghosts tightly, obviously experiencing the same thing she was. It must have had something to do with the orange glow on the Traveler she caught before she was knocked out, but she doesn’t have the mental capacity to think about it right now.

The ship lands a few moments later, and she moves to the rear hatch to assist in herding the civilians offboard. She’s greeted by a Titan, Hunter, and Warlock that all appear to be suffering similarly, but they’re quick to assist in moving the civilians. The Hunter stays by the ship while the Warlock and Titan lead the way, the Titan wielding a flaming axe to aid in their trek.

“What happened at the City, Hunter?” The Exo Hunter asks of Myss.

She shakes her head in response, holding Casper close. “I’m not sure how, but the Cabal managed to trap the Traveler and cut off its Light from us.”

While he’s shocked, the fellow Hunter seems to understand. “So that’s what happened... Tyra said that’s what it felt like, but no one wanted to believe it.”

“How do we come back from this?” Myss asks, looking at him with pained eyes.

“I don’t know.” He shakes his head, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Let’s make sure these civilians get up to the temple safely first, and then we can worry about the bigger picture.”

Myss nods and follows behind the pack of people, passing by a few other Guardians who also seemed to be helping herd the crowd. She takes little notice, eager to get out of the blustery blizzard and into the temple.

She’d heard stories of the Iron Temple, but she’d never be able to imagine anything close to its beauty in real life. The large statues lining the outer edge of the hall are breathtaking, and the fire that burned in the center of the room was inviting, so inviting that the majority of the crowd is congregating there first.

It’s not long before the entire ship of evacuees has found their spot on the floor to sleep, and they all begin to wind down. The Guardians who came with the refugees are charged with their protection for the night, and only the Warlock, Tyra, remains as they close the Temple off from the cold. She begins telling tales of the Iron Lords to the refugees, especially to the children, in order to help ease their worries. Soon after, songs begin to erupt from the crowd, led by Tyra.

Myss manages to climb into large tree, finding her usual sleeping arrangement most similar to that. It’s the only thing that really feels like home, and the melody echoing through the temple helps her fall asleep faster than she had in the past year’s time.

Tyra left the following day for the European Dead Zone, chasing a draw she couldn’t explain. Thankfully, a handful of dedicated Guardians were more than willing to take her place.

The next several days are met with continued silence over the radio, and boredom in the Temple.

A week into their stay, Myss is feeling an itch for exploration. She adventures outside the Temple and up the mountain, much to her Ghost’s dismay.

 _[You’re going to die your final death the same way you died your first.]_ Casper scolds.  _[How poetic.]_

“Come on, Casper. Have a little faith.” She assures him as she begins hopping from rock to rock, clambering her way up the nearly sheer cliffside. She may be missing her powers, but she’s still got the physical skills she’s built up in her daily routines.

_[I don’t need faith if I have logic, Myss. Just be careful.]_

Within a half hour, she finds a small ledge near the tip of the mountain, a firepit actively burning on it. The view is beautiful, and it’s enough to keep her sitting there for an hour or two, ignoring the cold that whipped around her.

An electric storm begins to brew above her as the day rolls on, and now she’s wondering how she’s going to get down from here.

 _[I told you!]_  Casper chides from her backpack.

Myss rolls her eyes, getting to her feet. “We’ll be fine. We just need to take our time.” Placing a hand on the rock wall, she feels one of the stones depress, and reveals a door in the cliffside. “See? This probably leads back down to the Temple.”

_[Then why didn’t we go that way?]_

“Shut up! We didn’t know it existed!”

Entering the passageway, Myss finds that it’s not a way down, but a warm, secluded study. There’s a fire burning in a hearth near the back, and a kettle hanging above the flames. To her right there’s a desk strewn with books and loose papers, some spilling onto the floor. A series of bookshelves are set into the rocks behind the desk, displaying even more ancient tomes.

The chill is starting to seep into her bones, and she heads towards the fire to warm up. As she steps gingerly over the strewn papers, her foot nudges against a metal object on the floor, which she picks up and examines. It’s definitely old, edges worn and showing signs of tarnish, possessing an image of a wolf, with the letters “S.D.” scratched into the opposite side.

Myss is snapped out of her investigating by the kettle’s piercing whistle, and the sound of footsteps behind her.

As she whips around, she is terrified by the sight of glowing green eyes, the memory of the Aeroport freshly returning to her mind. In a split-second desperate reaction, her razor-sharp canines are bared and a vicious snarl escapes her as she throws her knife at the figure.

Though, when the individual freezes at her reaction, Myss quickly realizes that they are not one of the Hive.

Instead, a green-eyed, black-haired, bespectacled Awoken Warlock stands in the doorway, smirking as he reaches over his shoulder to remove her knife from where it embedded in the rocks. He examines the blade as he approaches, and hands it back to her as he retrieves the whistling kettle from the flames.

“Tea?” He asks, pouring the water into a bronze pot on the mantle.

She’s taken aback, but nods. “Uh, sure. Thanks. Sorry... about that.”

The Warlock chuckles and waves off her apology, placing the empty kettle on the rocks next to the fire. "No one’s ever found this place. I’m impressed.”

Myss raises an eyebrow. “I’m a Hunter. I scout for a living. Your secret door button isn’t really that secret.” She sighs, roaming her eyes over the interior of the cave. “I’m more surprised someone hasn’t found this place yet, honestly.”

The Warlock chuckles louder. “That’s fair. Even still...” He turns to her, familiar bells ringing in his head. “What were you doing all the way up here? It’s a very treacherous climb. You could have died.”

 _[I tried to tell her.]_  Casper interrupts as he appears.  _[But she was convinced she could make it.]_

“She wasn’t wrong.” The Warlock responds, causing Myss to smile smugly at her Ghost. “Not many make it up here, even with the Light. You should be proud of her.”

_[I am. I just don’t want her to die.]_

“And I won’t!” Myss interjects, turning back to the Warlock. “I like high places. I needed to get out of the Temple and away from the anxiety of waiting by the radio for news. Climbing the mountain seemed like a good way to spend the day.”

“I’d say it is.” The Warlock agrees, pouring the tea and handing one to Myss.

The Hunter takes the offered cup and blows on it before taking a short sip. The brew is very light, but tasty, and warms her up instantly. She smiles at the Warlock, thanking him again.

The Warlock nods in response, and the pair sit in silence for a few moments as they sip their tea.

Myss’ curiosity gets the better of her though, and she picks up the metal item she nudged earlier. “What is this?” She asks, handing it over to the Warlock.

 _{Warcry!}_  A second Ghost, wearing silver and gold, suddenly appears over the Warlock’s shoulder.  _{Why do you keep leaving important things on the floor?}_

“Emrys, please.” The Warlock - Warcry, she discovers - chides his Ghost. “You know I work better like this.”

_{I do know, but you’re going to lose this if you’re not careful.}_

“Anyways...” Warcry sighs, glaring at his Ghost and puts down his tea so he can move on to answer Myss’ question. “This is an Iron Lord badge. It belonged to an old friend of mine, Spyder Damarcus.” The Warlock reaches for and takes the badge from her. “He was a Titan that was part of my first fireteam. He lost his Ghost, and... well.”

Myss nods, knowing what he was getting at. “I know the feeling.” She says quietly, her hand instinctively going to her still-glowing necklace, then pulls her cloak around her. “This belonged to the first person I knew after being resurrected.” She smiles sadly. “Her name was Seraph. She gave it to me before sacrificing herself so I could get out alive.”

The Warlock nods somberly, reaching to place a hand on her shoulder. “Everyone’s lost someone...” He cocks his head as he trails off in search of a name. “We were never properly introduced, were we, miss...?”

Myss smiles and sighs, shaking her head. “Myss. Myss Thyss. Redjack Hunter.” She extends a hand. "Emrys did half of the introduction for you, Warcry.”

The Warlock smiles, his hand grasping hers. “Well, Miss Myss Thyss. I’m Warcry Midori. Second Generation Iron Lord.”

They’re both impressed by the others’ titles, and nod in respect of each other.

“So...” Myss begins, finishing off her tea. “Is there an easier way down from here than the way I came up?”


	10. Pink

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Myss makes another friend.

Thankfully, the Warlock  _did_ have a much easier way to get down the mountain than the way she came, in the form of a passageway down to the main chamber of the Iron Temple. The drops in the passage made it a one-way trip, however, and they’d need to climb back up the outside of the mountain if they wanted to get back to Warcry’s not-so-secret “secret” study.

He leads her away from where the City’s citizens congregate, and instead towards the kitchen. When they arrive, there’s two Hunters preparing the rations for the evening’s meal. The shorter one, clad in pink from head to toe, welcomes Warcry with a quick kiss, and asks him who his new giant friend is.

“Mahala, this is Myss Thyss.” He introduces, gesturing to the Hunter in question, and she nods. “Myss, this is my wife, Mahala Rose.” 

“Myss, huh?” Mahala looks her up and down. “Help me out with these rations. Warcry, bun. Go help Aldrach with delivering the first batch.”

The Warlock does as he’s told, helping the other Hunter carry the servings of food out to the refugees, leaving the two female Hunters to prepare the rest.

“So, uh.” Myss begins. “What would you like me to do? Food prep and I don’t generally get along too well.” She chuckles nervously. “People have thought I was a Sunsinger after seeing the final product.”

Mahala laughs, pointing a knife - one used for cooking - towards the crates in the opposite corner. “Go get the rest of what’s in the top one unloaded, that’s what we’ve allotted for the day. I’ll take care of the cooking.”

The taller Hunter nods, doing as she’s told. She easily lifts the rest of the rations out onto the counter space within a few moments, unwrapping them as necessary.

“So how’d you meet my husband?” Mahala asks after a stretch of silence. “He doesn’t often bring around people he’s just met. That is, unless, they’ve made an impact on him.”

Myss cocks an eyebrow at the smaller Hunter. “I found his secret study and threw a knife at him. Then he made me tea and we bonded over lost friends.” She pauses, handing over a few portions of rations. “Don’t worry, I missed on purpose. Did show him my teeth, though.” She demonstrates by baring her large, sharp bottom canines as she had to Warcry.

“Sounds about right.” The pink Hunter responds with a chuckle, taking the rations. “You came in with the refugees from the City, yeah?” She asks, throwing some of the rations into a pot. “What’s it like there now? We haven’t been back for a few years.”

“Well, it’s not doing too great right now.” Myss tries some humour, but moves on when it falls flat. “It was... The City, I guess. I’ve only been around for a year, so I’ve never known what it was like before.”

“You’re so young!” Mahala interjects, surprised. “You make any names for yourself yet? What do the people know you for?”

“They told me I was one of the best - well, only - Nightstalkers they had, so I go on as many strikes as I’m needed or requested for.” Myss replies, crossing her arms and staring at the ceiling as she thinks. “I was pretty decent in the Crucible for a while, but I decided that the scouting life was more my style, so I asked Lord Shaxx to make me a Redjack.”

“Impressive!” The smaller Hunter nods. “I was a Nightstalker as well. I liked the sneaky, ninja-type technique that came with it.”

“That’s amazing!” Myss interrupts. “I’ve never met another Nightstalker before.”

Mahala laughs, which encourages Myss to as well. After a pause, Mahala brings up a new topic, looking up at Myss from beneath inquisitive brows.

“So,” She starts. “... I have to ask this of a fellow Hunter. How many cloaks have you collected?”

“Fifty-six.” The purple Hunter answers enthusiastically, puffing out her chest with pride. “All draped around my… My quarters...”

Her face falls once she realizes where they’re stored.

“MY CLOAKS!” She screams, gripping her hair. “They’re all gonna be gone! Burned! Destroyed! Damn Cabal! Ugh!”

Mahala’s laughing again as Myss cries into the void, though she can feel her fellow Hunter’s pain.

“That’s terrible, Myss.” She eventually manages. “I’m so sorry for your loss. But hey...” Mahala thumbs the hood of the cloak Myss is wearing now. “At least you still have this one, right?”

That sobers the taller Hunter immediately, and she pulls the hood around her face. “...Yeah. At least I didn’t lose this one.” Myss inhales. “So what about you? How many do you have?”

“Four hundred and thirty-eight.” Mahala answers easily. “All neatly stored and hung in their own place in the Temple, displayed alongside my swords.”

Myss sinks a little. “Well, now I’m jealous.”

“Don’t be.” The pink Hunter responds. “I’ve had decades to fill my armory with swords, and my closets with cloaks.”

“If we keep talking about cloaks I’ll probably start crying again.” Myss responds, wiping her eyes dramatically. “So how did you and Warcry meet each other?”

“I was sent to kill him by Mara Sov, Queen of the Awoken.” Mahala answers flatly, not missing a beat in her cooking. “Fell in love with him instead.”

Myss doesn’t really know how to respond to that, but she tries anyways. “I’ve heard stories about her. How are you still alive?”

Mahala shrugs. “Probably because there’s no assassins to send out, and no one to send them. The Queen and most of the Awoken died in the battle against Oryx’s Dreadnaught over Saturn.”

That last line rang bells in Myss’ memory, and she brushes her hand over her glowing pendant as she remembers Lumo’s words.

The pair’s chat is suddenly interrupted by Warcry hurriedly returning to the kitchen, obviously holding urgent news.

“Lord Saladin found out where Tyra went.” The Warlock begins, browsing on a tablet. “She’s in the European Dead Zone, about three miles from the Shard of the Traveler.” His finger drags up the tablet. “Turns out there’s hundreds of Guardians there as well using a place called ‘The Farm’ as a base of operations while this war is going on.”

“So... It’s war, then?” Mahala asks sadly, wiping her hands.

“Yes, unfortunately. It’s been dubbed the ‘Red War’.” Warcry confirms, tucking the tablet under his arms. “Saladin has an errand for us to run to Tyra on his behalf.” He nods to Mahala, and then looks to Myss. “Want to fireteam up with us, Myss? It shouldn't be too dangerous, but the extra Guardian-power can’t hurt.”

Myss’ eyes light up, eager for the adventure. “Count me in-” Her stomach growls, interrupting her acceptance. “- _after_  dinner.”


	11. Rivalry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Myss discovers some shared history.

After a short flight, the ship arrives at the cliff edge that acted as the Farm’s transmat zone, depositing the trio of Guardians safely on the ground. 

The three Awoken are quite a distance from their home base at Felwinter Peak, but they’re here on an errand for Lord Saladin, and need to speak with Tyra Karn on matters regarding the currently ongoing Red War. They can easily spot her across the field, surrounded by a crowd of Guardians no doubt all eager to get their Engrams decrypted by someone other than Rahool.

As they make their way over, Myss almost immediately forgets why they came to The Farm, as she manages to catch the telltale orange of her favourite Crucible Handler - and boss - standing proudly in the barn to the right. He’s also surrounded by a crowd of Guardians, but that doesn’t dampen her enthusiasm.

“Lord Shaxx is here!” She exclaims. Warcry and Mahala skid to a stop, the latter much more gracefully than the former, as she bolts towards him.

The Titan notices the tall Hunter just as she makes her way through the crowd. “Well, well! Still popping up out of the aether, it would seem!” He bellows, placing a hand on her head to give it a ruffle. “I’m glad to see you alive, Myss. Your skills will be sorely needed once this is all over. So many new arenas to make!”

Warcry and Mahala followed behind her as she approached the Titan, close enough to hear him greet their friend. The adage Shaxx uses to address Myss makes a lightbulb almost literally appear over the Warlock’s head and, if he had his Light, he’d feel it tingling at his fingertips.

Myss laughs heartily, removing the Titan’s hand from her now-ruffled head as she stands upright - almost the same height as Lord Shaxx himself. “I can’t wait to get back into it.”

“I hope you pop into the Crucible yourself once this is all over.” He suggests, extending his hands to the crowd. “I’m sure these rookies could learn a thing or two about awareness from The Aether!”

“Shaxx!” Myss shushes just as he says her alias, but it’s too late. The crowd is already murmuring, going on about her past matches. “I talked to you about this!”

That was all the confirmation the Warlock needed. “The Aether?” He asks, the crowd turning towards the accented voice to find Warcry, his arms crossed in suspicion.

“Oh... Oh this is perfect!” Shaxx cheers as he recognizes the Warlock. “A grand show indeed! The rematch of the century!”

“What?” Myss asks, eyeing Warcry. “What do you mean ‘rematch’?”

“Is that really her?” Mahala asks of Warcry, raising an eyebrow.

He nods slowly. “That’s her. I knew I recognized her from somewhere.”

“This is wonderful!” Shaxx exclaims. “Rookies, you’re in the presence of Crucible Legends! Take notes.”

“Please, Shaxx. We’re hardly legends.” Warcry waves off the compliment.

“What the hell are you guys talking about?!” Myss eventually shouts in confusion.

“The Aether, the Queen’s Thorn, and Thunderstruck, of course!” Shaxx announces, gesturing to Myss, Mahala, and Warcry respectively.

Myss looks at Warcry, who’s now smirking.

“Thunderstruck?” She asks, and he nods.

“Surely, you remember!” Shaxx states.

She’s feeling oh-so-smug now. “Oh, of course I do!” Her arms cross as she looks down at the Warlock. “I ended your 18-kill streak with a Shadowshot straight to the face!” Myss gloats, mimicking the movements. “You were so shaken that my team went on to win the match! No one could touch me!” She’s laughing now, and the crowd’s ooh-ing in awe. “I can’t believe I took down an Iron Lord!”

Warcry’s smirk fades a little during her recount of the match, but reignites when he remembers an important detail. “Wasn’t that kill streak mostly you?”

The crowd “ooh”’s louder at the shade being thrown by the Warlock.

“It was.” Myss confirms proudly. “Because I was determined to take you down. Sweeps are never a fun match.”

“That they aren’t!” Shaxx confirms, rubbing his hands together. “So, what do you say, Guardians?”

The crowd cheers, but Myss raises her hand and shouts “HEY!” before they can get too rowdy. “Shaxx, I told you. I don’t want to be a celebrity. That’s why I asked to be a Redjack.” A pause. “I’ll still pop in from time to time, but not for high-profile matches like what you have in mind.”

Shaxx sighs, laying a hand on her shoulder. “I know, but a Titan can dream, and your skills as a Redjack are invaluable to the Crucible.” He laughs. “I’ll have  _plenty_  for you to do once we defeat the Red Legion.” His hand is removed from her shoulder, and he gestures to the barn’s door. “Now, don’t let me keep you all day. Go finish what you came here to do. I look forward to working with you again.”

“The same to you, sir.” Myss replies, leaving through the disappointed crowd of Guardians towards her new fireteam.

The trio walk in silence for a few moments as they head towards Tyra Karn, their original reason for coming.

“I really enjoyed that match.” Warcry offers once they’re out of earshot of the crowd. “It was one of the best ones I’ve ever had. You were a force to be reckoned with.”

“Aww, thanks.” Myss smiles, nudging him. “Your reputation preceded you. I was terrified, as was my team. They’d given up as soon as they saw your name on the roster.” She leans forward, looking towards the smaller Hunter. “Queen’s Thorn, huh?”

“Yep!” Mahala answers proudly. My size and colour scheme make me look innocent, but if you let that fool you you’re gonna get pricked.”

Myss whistles in awe. “I can’t wait to see you in action again.”

“We should all team up when the Crucible is open again.” Warcry suggests. “That way we can put those rivalries behind us and work together.”

The taller Hunter smiles, nodding in agreement. “I think I can get behind that. Maybe once or twice.”


	12. Bubble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The flashback ends.

The large Shrieker is hovering menacingly above the severely weakened Guardians, firing constant orbs of void energy in an attempt to eliminate the intruders. They’ve already done a significant amount of damage to the Hive sentinel, having defeated Wizards and Ogres and hundreds of Thralls just to get to where they are now.

The fireteam is doing everything they can to stay alive. Warcry’s used his Stormtrance, Mahala’s Arc Staff is depleted, and Myss’ attempt at Golden Gun was nearly wasted. The Warlock’s rift and Arc Soul supply is all that’s keeping them up at the moment, but they’re quickly chased out of it by a fresh wave of Thralls and the Shrieker’s death blasts.

“Come on! We’re so close!” Mahala shouts in frustration, punching and discombobulating three Thralls simultaneously. “Our guns aren’t enough anymore, and we don’t have time to wait for our Supers!”

Myss is trying desperately to keep herself from panicking, killing every Thrall she lays eyes on to help avoid making connections to previous events. It’s not working very well.

Warcry manages to electrocute an Acolyte, but a second is there immediately to knock him down. A pained shriek echoes throughout the cave and is quickly followed by -

_[Guardian Down!]_

Mahala is the first to reach Emrys, Myss hot on her heels to cover as she revives her husband. Though, several Thralls ambush them, and knock down Mahala just as she clears them out.

_[Guardian Down!!]_

Myss’ breathing begins to accelerate as she realizes she’s the last one alive, and that her fireteam’s survival rests solely on her shoulders. She crouches behind a wall of Hive gunk to try and regain her bearings.

“Snap out of it!” The Hunter shouts at herself, “You can do this! You won’t let it happen again! Beat them to the punch! You’re stronger! You! Can! Do! This!” She gathers up all the courage she can muster, and steps out in front of the two helpless Ghosts. She’ll manifest the rest of the Light she needs to save her fireteam if she has to.

Just as she’s about to do just that, the Shrieker opens fire more violently than before. Doubts immediately cloud her mind, and all intention of whipping out her flaming pistol vanishes. Instead, hundreds of variants of  _I’m going to die_ ,  _we’re going to die_ ,  _it’s my fault_ , and  _I wasn’t strong enough_  run through her mind.

The void blasts are growing in size, quickly closing the distance between them.

She’s desperate. She has to do something.  _Something crazy_.

Her Light is buzzing within, itching to be released after being called upon and then abandoned. The blasts have almost reached her.

_Do something!_

Myss closes her eyes as she draws her hands to her chest, grabs her Light, and immediately forces the raw power outwards to defend her fireteam from the blasts.

...

She’s not dead.

Her eyes slowly open, and she finds her hands holding her Light in a dome around her downed fireteam.

Myss releases the breath she’d been holding, quickly moving to revive her fireteam as the blasts explode against the void barrier.

Warcry is the first up, and he takes a moment to stare in awe at what the Hunter - or so they originally thought - had managed to produce.

“Incredible...” He whispers, picking up the two orbs Myss had created in the process. “You were able to manifest a Ward of Dawn... as a Hunter. I’ve heard stories like this, and even tried it myself, but... I’ve never been able to do it.” He angles his head over his shoulder to call back at her. “Maybe Zavala wasn’t so far off on his assessment of you, Moose.”

“Now’s not the time to nerd out, Warcry!” Mahala shouts as she’s revived. “Put everything you have into that Shrieker!”

Warcry snaps out of it and does as he’s told, poking his auto out of the bubble Myss created as Mahala pitches a grenade at the Shrieker’s eye. The orbs the purple Hunter produced got Warcry much closer to having his Stormtrance again, and all they had to do was stay alive. The bubble dissipates a few moments later, and Warcry is able to drop his rift again.

The next wave of Thralls comes forth from the depths, and Warcry knows it’s now or never. Inspired by Myss, the Warlock lifts himself up, manages to manifest the last of the Light he needed, and launches the biggest Nova Bomb he could muster directly at the Shrieker’s core.

The Hive sentinel subsequently explodes into raw void energy, and the rest of the army retreats.

The entire team heaves a sigh of relief as the comms reconnect, and the toxic fog on the door clears.

Neither Warcry nor Mahala had noticed Myss fall nearly unconscious on the floor during the last leg of that battle, exhausted from pulling extra Light and a new ability simultaneously. The Warlock goes to her side while Mahala relays all important information to Zavala and Sloane.

“You keep surprising me, Moose.” Warcry says, lifting the Hunter so she sat upright against the wall. “I’ve been studying Light for hundreds of years, and spent half of that trying to do what you just did out of sheer desperation.”

Myss’ breathing is slow, but heavy. “Heh. Guess I’m just _that_ good.” She chuckles, sounding slightly delirious. “The extra Light came in handy.”

“Extra Light?” Warcry questions. “What do you mean by...” The Warlock trails off as he thinks, and immediately recalls when Myss uncharacteristically popped Golden Gun earlier on in the fight. He swore he saw Myss’ eyes flicker a slight orange as she was bathed in the flames and, with the new information about Myss’ past, immediately knew it was the remnants of Seraph that still sat with the Hunter.

With what she just said, Warcry now realizes just how much of the lost Gunslinger had stayed with Myss.

To confirm, he places a hand over her upper chest and, sure enough, the old Warlock can detect a surplus within the Hunter. Almost double the usual power.

The pieces are starting to fall into place. The soft swirl of Void-attuned Light that usually emanated from the Hunter was inextricably mixed with a lively warmth akin to that of Solar Light. This wasn’t in the way that a doubly-skilled guardian would have mixed Light, this was two entirely different forces of Light merged into one. Until she tells him what happened, he can only guess. Either way, Seraph’s Light merged with Myss’, and that’s something that likely came about from an incredibly strong bond.

“Oh. Oh Myss...” Warcry sighs sadly as the truth dawns on him. “You loved each other so much.”

The Hunter blinks tiredly beneath his palm, lips worrying as she processed his words. Fresh tears form when she closes her eyes, and she nods slowly. “I miss her.” She responds in a quiet, shaky voice.

“I know.” The Warlock soothes, rubbing her head gently. “You've made her very proud, Myss. I’m sure of it.”

“Right. We’re on our way, sir.” Mahala signs off with Commander Zavala as she returns to her fireteam, kneeling beside them. “They’re disappointed about the lost fireteams, but told us not to worry. They want us to get back to the City and debrief with them immediately.” She looks pointedly at the nearly-unconscious purple Hunter. “Zavala wants to speak with you.”


	13. Disclosure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The finale/wrap up. Zamboni has questions.

Myss is fairly numb as she follows her fireteam out of the Arcology’s Hive-infested catacombs, feeling almost as short as Mahala as the events of the Strike’s final fight weighed her down. It’s a bit of a trek back up the way they came, trying to find a clear area to call upon their ships and take them home.

After a quick mission debriefing with Sloane, that is.

The fireteam apologizes profusely to the Titan for not being able to bring any of the previous Guardians home, and Sloane accepts, but tells them not to worry. “There was nothing you could have done.” She says, a sympathetic nod to each Guardian - lingering on the tallest’s heavy eyes for just a moment longer - before finally dismissing them. The fireteam nods, and quickly return to their ships.

“Time to go see Big Blue.” Mahala chirps with a giggle, strapping in to her seat.

“That it is.” Warcry responds, opening the comm channel to the Vanguard. “Bun Squad to Vanguard, Operation Caliban returning to Tower two-point-oh for strike mission debriefing.”

A moment of staticky silence, and a reply comes in. “Caliban. Glad to hear you alive and well.” Zavala greets. “You’re clear to debrief with me in the…  _War Room_ … in ten minutes. I have some… extra queries for your Nightstalker, as you know.”

“We do.” The Warlock responds. “And, by ‘War Room’, you mean…?”

“…The Speaker’s former quarters.” He offers hesitantly. “Unfortunately, we have yet to set up a proper War Room. It’s not ideal, but it’s what we have at the moment.”

“Understood.” Warcry responds, stifling a chuckle. “On our way.”

The trio make the jump back to Earth, unusual silence lingering between them the whole way. Bun Squad’s usually a lighthearted bunch, poking fun at each other constantly. Today’s different, and everyone can feel it. The others can’t see it, but it’s taking what’s left of Myss’ concentration to remain as stonefaced and silent as she is. She’s dreading the meeting with the Vanguard Commander, unsure of what he plans to ask her.

Several minutes later, the trio enter the ‘War Room’, greeted by the Titan as he instructs them to close the door behind them. They’ve noticed that the latticed windows have all been drawn shut, increasing the privacy of their debriefing. This must be serious, and Mahala states as much.

“Standard protocol, Lady Rose.” Zavala begins, arms behind his back as he addresses each member of the fireteam individually. “Bun Squad, I’ve received the general Strike Summary from Deputy Commander Sloane, and from your quick report following the mission’s end.” He continues. “While it was unfortunate and tragic that we lost so many Guardians to the Hive’s rituals, it is a blessing that you three were not among them.”

“Thank you, sir.” Warcry and Mahala say in unison, Myss nods a lagging second later.

“Furthermore, we know it was not your average everyday Strike Mission.” The Awoken continues, glancing at the floor as he takes a short step forward. “It exposed us to a new type of Hive magic we’ve never seen before. What can you tell us about it?”

Warcry, the resident expert on the Light and its functions, leads the explanation. “They were using a Guardian’s Light as the basis for their summoning rituals.” He begins, a hint of anger beneath his words. “Wizards tore the Light from those Guardians and their Ghosts, formed it into luminescent crystals filled with Void Light, and used them for their rituals.”

“I see.” Zavala responds after a few seconds.

“We heard one of them plead for his life over the comms right as we lost contact with you and Sloane,” Mahala adds. “… and we spoke with Taeko-3 through most of the mission after that.” The Hunter nods towards her fellow classmate. “Myss tried to comfort her, and attempted to convince her to not sacrifice herself for our sake, but she wouldn’t listen.”

“A tragic loss, indeed.” The Titan laments. “All of them were, of course, but Taeko-3 was a brilliant mind that the Warlock order and the Praxic Deconstructionists will surely miss.” Another moment of silence passes between the group, Zavala lifting his head towards the tallest of them as it ends. 

“Now you, Myss Thyss.” He begins, stepping up to her. “I have some questions for you and your… specific knowledge of this mission.” Nodding at the door, he signals her teammates to leave them. They obey, but not before they both give her a quick pat on the back.

The silence hovers heavily between the two as they wait for the others to get out of possible earshot, Myss’ heart hammering anxiously as she anticipates his line of questions.

“How much did you know about these particular Hive rituals prior to this mission, Hunter?”

She swallows heavily. “Enough to terrify me.”

“As I heard from your teammate.” The Awoken turns, walking thoughtfully around the room as he speaks. “You were catatonic for a portion of that mission. I heard some of the audio recordings. That is an impressive screech you have, possibly one to rival Omnigul.”

Myss has no idea who he’s talking about, but she nods anyways.

Zavala’s lighthearted tone fades. “Nevertheless. You knew  _enough_ , and didn’t disclose it prior.”

“I-I apologize, Commander.” The Hunter bows slightly. “I had blocked it from my memory.”

“You hadn’t when you first arrived.” He clarifies. “Your Ghost had told the Vanguard that you lost your friend to the Hive. You had just come from the Aeroport in San Francisco, which he had also stated was infested with Hive.” The Titan steps up to her again, his shorter stature having no effect on his intimidation. “You failed to report that.”

Just when she’s about to crumble under the guilt, Casper appears between the two Awoken to defend his Guardian.

_[You didn’t ask, Commander.]_

“I beg your pardon, Ghost?”

 _[You didn’t ask her how Seraph died. We told you that she was lost, and you accepted it without further clarification.]_ The Ghost is getting visibly agitated.  _[How was she supposed to know – during her first encounter with the Hive, only weeks old – that they didn’t normally rip the Light from their victims?]_

“Because of _you_ , Ghost.” Zavala points an accusatory finger at him. “ _You_ are her first source of knowledge. _You_ know how they work. _You_ have access to all the archive records. _You_ knew.” He pauses. “And because _you_ didn’t report, we lost a dozen Guardians to the Hive’s rituals. Maybe more.”

 _[I was out there for **years** , Commander. I had not returned to the City in at least decade.] _Casper responds.  _[My job was to find my Guardian, and bring her back alive, not read up on the latest news about the enemy factions. We are not—]_

“Cas… Casper, please.” Myss shushes, placing a hand on his shell. “Zavala’s right. We should have reported it after we learned how Hive normally fight, but we didn’t.”

The Commander nods, returning his hand to his back as the vein in his neck becomes less defined. “Indeed, you should have—”

“—But, with all due respect, that  _doesn’t_  mean we’re responsible for their deaths, Commander.” Myss continues, raising a finger. “The trauma the event caused forced me to push the memory to my subconscious so that I could function like a normal Guardian. That’s probably why I went on thirteen strikes during my first week here.” She inhales, steadying her voice. “When we learned how the Hive actually fought, I had forgotten about the event, focused instead on the present.”

There’s a long, pregnant pause between them as Zavala ponders her explanation. When he finally does respond, it’s accompanied by a heavy sigh. “Trauma is something we all must deal with in our own ways.” He says. “You dealt with it, and became better in spite of it. There is nothing we can do about the lost Guardians now, so it does nothing for us to dwell on the ‘what if’s. Though in the future…” The Titan points at her. “You  _will_  disclose all pertinent information.”

“Of course, sir.” Myss says in relief.

“Now…” He starts again, turning his back to her. “…There is  _another_  matter we must discuss.”

She nods slowly, but doesn’t respond.

“When we first met, I had read you as a Titan.” The Awoken begins. “You, of course, corrected me, and were initiated into Guardianship by Cayde-6, the Hunter Vanguard – and we thought nothing more of it. Today…” He turns back to face her. “…we found out that I was not so incorrect in my assumptions.”

Myss hangs her head slightly, eyes trained on the Commander’s feet. She wasn’t sure if Mahala had mentioned that.

“Do you know  _how_  you did it?” Zavala asks.

There’s a moment of silence as she gathers her thoughts.

“I trusted my gut.” Myss eventually answers truthfully. “I had prepared to use Golden Gun, but when the Shrieker’s death blasts threatened to kill me - while my fireteam was down…” Her voice gets shaky as she remembers. “I just… tried to manifest my Light in a way that would protect us.” A breath. “And it worked.”

“That it did.” Zavala agrees, nodding. “It’s very rare for a Guardian to hover between Class lines like that.”

“It wasn’t an easy feat. I nearly passed out after the bubble was put up.” The Hunter confesses. “Thankfully, my fireteam successfully dealt with the Shrieker, and we were able to get out safely.”

“Of course. Besides your build…” He begins. “Do you have any idea  _why_  you were able to create such a Titan-specific power from your Light?”

Myss does have an idea, but it’s a piece of information very sensitive and sacred to her. It’s something that she hasn’t outright told anyone about her, and only one Guardian has even surmised it. Though, given the recent circumstances surrounding disclosure, she feels like she has to tell him. She takes a breath to steady her voice.

“I… have the Light of two Guardians.”

“… I beg your pardon?”

“Seraph, the Guardian who was traveling with me, the one we lost to the Hive.” Myss continues. “I also have her Light within me, inextricably mixed with my own.”

A solid thirty seconds of silence passes as the Titan struggles to come up with a fitting response.

“… I was not expecting an answer even  _remotely_  close to that.” The Commander admits, placing a hand to his chin. “But that would likely explain it. If the Speaker were still with us, he’d be able to confirm.” He sighs, shaking his head. “I won’t ask how it happened, but I am satisfied with your answer.”

“Thank you, sir.” Myss nods. “I appreciate that.”

“For now, I think you should stick with being a Nightstalker.” Zavala suggests, head held high. “It’s where your skills shine the brightest. But—” He places a hand on her shoulder. “If you ever wish to hone your Defender skills, come and find me. I’d be happy to give you some instruction. Now—” The Titan nods towards the door. “You’re dismissed. Go and join your fireteam. I’m sure they’re concerned, and you’re ready for some rest.”

Myss smiles softly, nodding one last time as she makes her way to the exit.

Sure enough, the rest of Bun Squad is waiting on the stairs leading to the Courtyard, looking slightly nervous. When Myss comes into view, they rise to greet her.

“You were in there a while.” Mahala begins, hands clasped in front of her.

“Was it serious?” Warcry asks.

“…Kind of.” The other Hunter responds, rubbing the back of her neck. “He wanted to know more about the bubble… and I was in a bit of trouble for not telling the Vanguard about the rituals beforehand.” She sighs.

 _[How dare he, honestly?]_  Casper pipes in, still rattled from the whole thing.  _[Thinking we purposefully didn’t tell them about the Hive rituals! The nerve, I swear—]_

“But…” Myss interrupts him, eyes heavy. “…now it’s over, and I would really like to get some rest.”

As if on cue – and the weight of the stress and anxiety she was carrying suddenly tripled – Myss’ legs give out from underneath her, and she collapses.

Warcry manages to catch her before she hits the ground.

“Well, you absolutely deserve it, Moose.” He comforts, nodding to Casper as he pulled out Emrys and Mahala did the same with Senu. “Let’s go home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it for this story! Hope you enjoyed it! Leave a comment or a kudos to let me know!


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